Women’s History Month, March 2023 Celebrating Women: Telling Our Stories
Dear Colleagues: Title IX Exhibition 

Monday, March 6 – Friday, April 28 | Main Lobby, Simpson Library

Sponsored by the Department of Athletics, Center for Prevention and Education, Office of Title IX and ADA Compliance, and Simpson Library

A history of the 1972 Title IX Education Amendment and supporting guidance to showcase activism on and off the field within higher education. This exhibition will feature Title IX and related guidance through activism, athletics, and legislation.

Great Lives Lecture:  Sandra Day O’Connor

Tuesday, March 7 | 7:30 pm | Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall

Speaker Evan Thomas details the life of Sandra Day O’Connor.  At a time when women were expected to be homemakers, she set her sights on Stanford University. When she graduated near the top of her law school class in 1952, no firm would even interview her.  When she arrived at the United States Supreme Court, appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, she began a quarter-century tenure on the Court, hearing cases that ultimately shaped American law.  Thomas provides a remarkably vivid and personal portrait of a woman who loved her family, who believed in serving her country, and who, when she became the most powerful woman in America, built a bridge forward for all women.  (From https://www.umw.edu/greatlives/lecture/sandra-day-oconnor-3/)

Body Movement Session

Thursday, March 9 | 5:00 pm  | Colonnade Room, Cedric Rucker University Center

Join us for a session of body empowerment as we create a safe space to explore body movement and center your energy. This session is open to movers of all levels. We will begin with some lightweight stretching led by the instructor followed by an easy combination of natural movements that are designed to help movers gain confidence and feel grounded.

Beyond A Single Story: An Evening of Personal Storytelling and Reflection

Thursday, March 9 | 6 pm | Chandler Ballroom A/B, Cedric Rucker University Center

Co-sponsored by the James Farmer Multicultural Center and the Department of Communications and Digital Studies

Inspired by the powerful words of novelist Chimamanda Adichie and the 2023 theme for Women’s History Month, this interactive session will explore the significance of storytelling in teaching about oneself and learning about others. In her 2019 TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” Adichie speaks to the importance of hearing multiple perspectives—or stories—for a better understanding of the world, including people’s multifaceted identities and experiences. After a group screening of Adichie’s talk and a brief discussion of the “single stories” commonly associated with women and intersecting identities, guests will be invited to write their own stories that share a deeper understanding of themselves, whether through personal stories, social critique, or explanations of impactful women in one’s life. At the end of the session, guests will be invited to share their stories with the group to help demonstrate the power of narrative and the value in learning beyond a single story.

Foreign Film Series 2023: Women’s Stories

March 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22 | 7:30 pm | Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall

Sponsored by the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures

The Department of Modern Languages & Literatures will be holding its annual foreign filmi series in March, 2023. This year, the theme of the series will be women’s stories. Each night a foreign film from one of the modern languages taught at UMW (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish) will be screened with English subtitles. A short discussion will follow each film.

Great Lives Lecture:  Anne Frank

Tuesday, March 14 | 7:30 pm | Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall

The most common question asked by those who tour the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam is: “Who Betrayed Anne Frank?” 74 years after the Nazis’ tragic abduction of the residents of the secret Annex in August 1944, two Dutchmen decided to take on the unsolved mystery.  Attend to speaker Rosemary Sullivan as she takes you through the gripping and historic story.  (From https://www.umw.edu/greatlives/lecture/anne-frank/)

2023 Women’s History Month Keynote Speaker;  Dr. Gayatri Sethi, PhD

Wednesday, March 15  |  7 pm  |  Digital Auditorium, Hurley Convergence Center

Gayatri Sethi (PhD) is an educator, writer, and independent consultant. She teaches and writes about Social Justice, Global Studies, and Comparative Education. Born in Tanzania and raised in Botswana, she is of Punjabi descent, multilingual, and polycultural. She reflects on these lifelong experiences of identity, immigration, and belonging in her debut non-fiction book titled Unbelonging.

She is also the co-founder of the Desi KidLit community, an initiative to build solidarity among South Asian diaspora writers for young people. When she is not reading or recommending reads on Instagram as @desibookaunty, she is envisioning traveling and gathering in community safely again.

Population, Reproduction, and Sustainability: Film and Panel

Wednesday, March 22 | 5 pm | Digital Auditorium, Hurley Convergence Center

Sponsored by the President’s Council on Sustainability and the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences

We will screen the documentary film, My So-Called Selfish Life, which is about the choice to be childfree, the importance of reproductive health/rights, and how gender equity is part of environmental justice. There will be a panel discussion afterwards. Co-hosted with the Center for Biological Diversity.

Great Lives Lecture:  Queen Isabella

Tuesday, March 21 | 7:30 pm | Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall

At a time when Christianity appeared to be dying out and the Ottoman Empire was aggressively expanding, a young princess was born into obscurity in a remote village in the weak and splintered kingdom of Castile. Speaker Kirstin Downey will take the audience through the story of one of the most significant monarchs of all time; her controversial legacy survives in the 500 million people who speak Spanish as their first language and the 1.3 million who practice Catholicism.  (From https://www.umw.edu/greatlives/lecture/queen-isabella/)

The Art of Solo Female Travel

Thursday, March 23 | 4PM |   Room 411, Lee Hall

Sponsored by the Center for International Education

Traveling alone can seem daunting, especially for women, which is why the Art of Solo Female Travel is an essential skill to master. In this program we will explore the rewards and challenges to traveling alone as a woman, address the most common fears and concerns, and role-play real-life scenarios to prepare for whatever might arise on this road less traveled.

Women in STEM Discussion Panel

Friday, March 24  | 4pm  |   Digital Auditorium, Hurley Convergence Center

Sponsored by the Optica Society of America (OSA)

A discussion about STEM and gender issues with a diverse panel of women in both industry and academic STEM fields.

Women’s Empowerment Through the Arts

Saturday, March 25 |  3 pm | Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall

Sponsored by Women of Color

Individuals, clubs, and organizations will have the chance to perform a piece of art celebrating women’s empowerment through the past years and all that they have overcome.

Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Undergraduate Research Forum

Wednesday, March 29 | 4 pm | Room 411, Lee Hall

Sponsored by the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

UMW students showcase their undergraduate research in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Cash prizes will be awarded.