Women's History Month

What is Women's History Month?

Women’s History Month is about celebrating the women in our own lives and also women from the past. Each year, March is honored worldwide as “National Women’s History Month” to ensure that the history of American women will be recognized and celebrated in schools, workplaces, and communities throughout the country. The stories of women's achievements present an expanded view of the complexity and contradiction of living a full and purposeful life.

The knowledge of women's history provides a more expansive vision of what a woman can do. This perspective can encourage girls and women to think larger and bolder and can give boys and men a fuller understanding of the female experience.

The national theme for Women’s History Month 2007 is “Generations of Women Moving History Forward.” It celebrates the wisdom and tenacity of prior and future generations of women and recognizes the power and impact of generations working together. Moving History Forward is a process of individuals coming together for the greater good of the society and confirming the idea that individuals working together can be effective in building a better, more compassionate world.

How did Women's History Month Begin?

According to the National Women’s History Month Project, as recently as the 1970's, women's history was virtually an unknown topic in school curriculum or in general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a ‘Women's History Week’ celebration for 1978. They chose the week of March 8 to make International Women’s Day the focal point of the observance. The activities met with enthusiastic response, and within a few years dozens of schools planned special programs for Women's History Week. Over one-hundred community women participated in the Community Resource Women Project; an annual ‘Real Woman’ Essay Contest drew hundreds of entries,; and we were staging a marvelous annual parade and program in downtown Santa Rosa, California. In 1987, the National Women's History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. For more information, go to the National Women’s History Month Project online at http://www.nwhp.org/whm/.

What does FHSU do to celebrate Women's History Month?

A number of individuals, organizations, and offices plan events during or near the month of March in conjunction with Women’s History Month. The events are different every year, and they vary in content and topic. There are numerous events planned for WHM in 2007.

This year the theme of the 2007 Fort Hays State University Women’s History Month is “Women Living Safely.” The planned events and activities actively reflect on women’s experiences in private and public locations.

Events During Women’s History Month at FHSU

* “Times Talk”—Friday, March 2, 12:30 p.m., Stouffer Lounge, Memorial Union. Dr. Kate McGonigal, Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. The title of the presentation is “Voices from a Full Moon: Evaluating the Valuation of Female.”

* Bridget Gray Spoken Word Performance—Monday, March 5, 7:30 p.m., Cody Commons, Memorial Union. The Fort Hays State University Activities Board is sponsoring this event. Bridget Gray won the “HBO Soul Poetry Slam,” “The Battle of L.A.,” and “Nuyorican” in New York. She is the only female to become a two-time Grand Slam champion back to back in Los Angeles and Hollywood. She has been featured as poet on ABC’s “Eye on L.A.,” BET’s “Lyric Café,” and brought the house down receiving an extended standing ovation at her taping of HBO’s “Def Poetry Jam.” For more information her website is www.bridgetgray.com.

* Jackson Katz Presentation—Wednesday, March 7, 7:30 p.m., Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. “More than a Few Good Men: A Lecture on American Manhood & Violence Against Women.” Jackson Katz conceived and co-founded Mentors in Violence (M.V.P.), a gender violence prevention program widely utilized in college and professional sports programs. From 2000-2003, Katz was a member of the U.S. Secretary of Defense’s Task Force on Domestic Violence in the military. For more information about this dynamic speaker, please visit his website at www.jacksonkatz.com.

* Crimes of the Heart Fringe Theatre Production—8 p.m. on Thursday to Saturday, March 8, 9, and 10; and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 11, in Felten-Start Theatre, Malloy Hall. CRIMES OF THE HEART features three very different sisters. Meg is pursuing a singing career in Hollywood, and Babe, "the perfect one," is married to a state senator. Just turned 30, oldest sister Lenny has been left to care for their ailing grandfather and to run errands for cousin Chick who lives next door. When Babe shoots her husband, the three sisters reunite with hope, love, and a good deal of sibling rivalry. Admission fee of $10 for the general public and $8 for students.

* Feminist Theory Discussion Hour with Student Feminist Organization and 10% Club—Monday, March 12, 5:30 p.m., Rarick 360. The topic is “Voices of Individuals Celebrating Equality.”

* “Women in Scholarship Research Panel”—Wednesday, March 14, 11:30 a.m., Fort Hays Ballroom, Memorial Union. The subject matter of this year’s research panel is on women’s scholarship activities and on the subject of women in academics.

* Iron Jawed Angels Movie Showing—Wednesday, March 28, 6 p.m.. Fox Pavilion. Phi Alpha Theta is sponsoring this event in the newly remodeled Fox Pavilion. This event is free and open to the public.

* Take Back the Night—FHSU’s 9th Annual Sexual and Domestic Violence Awareness Event.
+ Clothesline Project. March 26-30, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Memorial Union.
+ Jan Goff-LaFontaine Photo Exhibit, March 26-30, Memorial Union.
+ Candlelight March, Thursday, March 29, 6:30 p.m., FHSU Quad.
+ Sentencing the Victim Movie Showing. Thursday, March 29, 7 p.m., Fox Pavilion. Contact Carrie Nassif in the Kelly Center for more information about Women’s History Month.

* “Leadership Advantage: Kansas Women’s Leadership Conference”—March 30 in Downtown Hays. www.kansaswomensleadership.org. Event has an admission fee. Leadership Advantage is a conference aimed at providing a forum for discussion on issues, concepts, and skills regarding leadership development for Kansas women of all ages. Conference objectives include strengthening netwoeking opportunities for women, encouraging development of leadership of all women of all generations, promoting mentoring between and among women, and fostering a celebration of women’s diversity. Held at the newly renovated Fox Pavillon on March 30, 2007 in historic, downtown Hays, the conference includes a keynote address by Ann Crittenden, author of the popular book, If You’ve Raised Kids, You Can Manage Anything Leadership Begins at Home. Ms. Crittenden is an award-winning journalist and reporter for the New York Times.

* Self-Defense Workshop—April 4, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m., Main Street Gym in Hays. Fort Hays State University Panhellenic is sponsoring this workshop. Anyone planning to attend this event should arrive in comfortable, loose fitting clothes. Officer Dawson will be guiding participants through this training.

* Goodwill donations to Northwest Kansas Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, Inc., are welcome. Collection boxes in the Kelly Center and the Center for Student Involvement.

Appreciation is extended to the sponsors of the various events during Women’s History Month 2007: Kelly Center, University Activities Board, Office of the Provost, College of Liberal Arts, Women’s and Gender Studies Certificate Program, Office of Student Affairs, Center for Student Involvement, Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic, Memorial Union, Graduate School, Fox Pavilion, College of Business and Leadership, Student Feminist Organization, 10% Club, Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society, and the Departments of Communication Studies, Sociology & Social Work, English, and History.

Dr. Kathryn McGonigal, Assistant Professor of Sociology and the Director of the Fort Hays State University Women’s and Gender Studies Program writes about the theme, planned events, and the planning process for the 2007 FHSU Women’s History Month:

“Every woman deserves to be safe and secure, no exceptions, no limitations. Every woman living in an environment where she is unsafe and fearful translates into a community that is unsafe and fearful. A woman who feels safe and secure in all of the places where she lives and works is most fully able to make good decisions about her own life, and the lives of those who depend on her.”

“I am tremendously excited about the variety of the events and the activities that are a part of this year’s FHSU Women’s History Month. So much work and involvement has come from all corners of the campus and our community to make this an especially meaningful Women’s History Month.” --Dr. Kate McGonigal can be reached at kmcgonig@fhsu.edu.

What is the Women's and Gender Studies Program at FHSU?

Students in the College of Liberal Arts can earn a certificate as part of their degree program. The Women’s and Gender Studies Certificate Program offers an interdisciplinary approach to analyzing what it means to be a woman in contemporary society. The program involves twelve credit hours (four courses). The two foundation courses include IDS 201 and IDS 211---“Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies” and “Feminist Theory.” Both courses are currently taught online by Dr. Kathryn McGonigal in order for students around the globe to earn the certificate. Students also take two more courses from two different academic disciplines, drawing from current course offerings and their own interests in areas such as Communications, English, History, Leadership, Modern Languages, Nursing, Psychology, and Sociology. Class members earning the Women’s and Gender Studies Certificate examine historical factors that have shaped the status of women around the globe and explore the various means by which women have sought to achieve equality and empowerment. The courses affiliated with this program are diverse, and we welcome your suggestions! For more information, visit the Web site: http://www.fhsu.edu/sociology/certificates.shtml.

What Is the FHSU Student Feminist Organization (SFO)?

The Fort Hays State University Student Feminist Organization (SFO) believes in gender equality. The SFO exists to educate people about feminism, to challenge stereotypes associated with feminism and gender studies, and to promote individual identity and acceptance of others.

Founded in November 2005 by a group of persons led by Amanda Kay Stinemetz, the SFO was named by persons present at open discussions on whether to form a student organization related to women’s and gender studies. The first officers of the organization were Amanda Kay Stinemetz (President), Meghan Tucker (Vice President), Alysson Plattner (Secretary), and Amy Jensen (Treasurer). The faculty co-advisors were Amy Cummins (Dept. of English) and Amy Schmierbach (Dept. of Art).

During its first year of campus activity, members of the SFO worked to establish the foundation of a Feminist Theory Discussion Group, meeting regularly to discuss the truths and definition of feminism and to analyze the common beliefs and stereotypes associated with feminism. Both men and women participated in these discussions.Also during this first year, student feminists in SFO were involved with activities such as Women’s History Month 2006, the V-Day Campaign, benefits for the Northwest Kansas Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, the Communication Department’s production of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues.

In its second year at FHSU, the SFO has extended its activities to include more outreach meetings as well as discussion meetings. Officers for the 2006-07 academic year are Amanda Stinemetz (President), Hollie Bailey (Vice-President), Kara Gerstenkorn (Secretary), and Abby Maska (Treasurer). The faculty co-advisors are Amy Cummins (Dept. of English) and Carrie Nassif (Dept. of Psychology / Kelly Center). The organization is open to change and representation of diverse viewpoints. All students are welcome to participate, take the lead, and share ideas that challenge all of us to think harder about ourselves and the world around us. The next SFO meeting is March 12 at 5:30 p.m. in Rarick 301. For more information, contact Amanda Stinemetz at amanda_kay_stinemetz@hotmail.com.