Celebrate Women's History Month Art

 
Each March, for the past 30 years, the College has hosted exciting in-person celebrations to mark Women’s History Month, bringing to campus notable speakers and artists to engage us in learning about the richness of diverse women’s lives. This year, given our remote locations, we bring you a modest, curated list of events and activities to enjoy from home.

Within the month is a special day: March 8th, widely known as International Women’s Day. This occasion, that takes place in over 100 countries today, has a controversial and long history. Beginning with its inception during the earliest years of the 20th century, International Women’s Day was finally declared in 1975 by the United Nations General Assembly to be recognized worldwide.
 
The International Women’s Day Alliance has initiated a 2021 campaign and photo challenge called “Choose to Challenge” in honor of International Women’s Day: send your submission now!

For those who want to know: Why Is March Women’s History Month?
Begin by discovering how celebrations of Women’s History Week were written into a Presidential Proclamation by Jimmy Carter in 1980 and then expanded to a month of recognition in 1987 when Congress responded to the demand for a month, not just a week, to honor women’s history. Each March, women-centered activities take place in schools from elementary through graduate level, in libraries, and in community centers to raise awareness of and give tribute to both historical and contemporary achievements of women.
 
In commemoration of Women’s History Month 2021, the Women’s and Gender Studies program at Hostos has provided this directory to public online resources and free events, as well as suggested activities for students.

Scheduled Activities:
 
March 2 | 4 p.m.
The Hostos Writing Center hosts Part 2 of their discussions of “Antigone,” a play by Sophocles and performed around the year 441 B.C.E., featuring its bold and principled protagonist who heroically stands up to the King for what she believes is right.
Register here.

Friday, March 26 | 7 p.m. (entry at 6.45 p.m.)
Educating for Change: Women’s Stories (Part II of IV)
Part II of the four-part "Educating for Change" series, this 30-minute virtual screening of "College Behind Bars” will be followed by a Q&A panel.
 
Panelists: Film Producer Salimah El-Amin; Bard Prison Initiative alumna Shawnta Montgomery; Hostos Professor Sandy Figueroa; SUNY Purchase Professor Ragnhild Utheim; Director of Programs College & Community Fellowship Maria Santangelo. Moderated by Marsha Milan-Bethel.
RSVP here.

Unscheduled Activities in Which to Participate Anytime During March:
 
Meet and Celebrate
 
We encourage students to learn about the struggles and accomplishments of daring women they have not yet “met,” those who have defied gender boundaries and have achieved against the odds. To make their acquaintance, take time to visit the 2021 Honorees from the National Women’s History Alliance.
 
The National Women's History Museum offers free events/exhibits about women’s achievements throughout history in various fields. Among the exhibits is one about Harriet Tubman that can be used in conjunction with the class activity below.
Explore here.

Class activity: Have students debate the merits of putting the face of Harriet Tubman on the front of the $20 bill (replacing defamed and racist President Andrew Jackson). This initiative was proposed by the Obama administration in 2016 and as is supported by the Biden administration.
 
For reference, the two links below will take you to: Listen and Watch
 
Stories that might not be in your textbooks: National Youth Summit — Teen Resistance to Systemic Racism, featuring the story of Claudette Colvin, who was 15 years old in 1955 when she  refused to give up a seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jeanne Theoharis, Distinguished Professor, Political Science at Brooklyn College of City University of New York, and the author of a widely-acclaimed biography, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks.
 
Interested in Learning about the Suffrage Movement?
In light of the pandemic curbing activities last March, the centennial (1920-2020) of women winning the right to vote is continuing to be celebrated through 2021!
 
Read or Enact
Here is a short play about the vote for women: “The Fight for Liberty,” by Maggie Mead.
 
Listen and Learn
100 Years—The U.S. Suffrage Movement: In this episode of “Can We Talk?,” a podcast from the Jewish Women’s Archive, discusses suffrage from the perspective of African-American and Jewish women who participated in the struggle to win the vote. 
Listen here.