Happy Women’s History Month! There is still half of March left to celebrate women’s history, so we’ve compiled a list of a few events on campus and a few books or DVDs related to the content of the event. Whether you are a woman or you want to support women, you can always learn something new about women’s contributions to our world.
Be sure to also check out the list of Women’s History Month events on campus listed on the Women’s Resource Center website.
7th Annual Campus Ecofeminism Summit Keynote Lecture with La Donna Brave Bull Allard
Tuesday, March 14, 7 to 8 pm at Unit One/Allen Hall (1005 W Gregory Dr, Urbana)
Ecofeminism Summit
In honor of the 7th Annual Campus Ecofeminism Summit, join the Women’s Resources Center, together with cosponsoring units, for a keynote lecture from LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, Lakota historian, activist, and Director of the Sacred Stone Camp at Standing Rock. Find out more on the Facebook event.
The lecture will be followed by a Q & A. Local campus and community organizations will be offering resources and information. You can also join La Donna Brave Bull Allard at a Meet and Greet event at the Native American House from 2-4pm on Tuesday, March 14.
After the event, read The Dance Boots by Linda LeGarde Grover.
The Dance Boots
Linda LeGarde Gover is a member of the Bois Forte band of Ojibwe. The Dance Boots is her short story collection about hardships Native American tribes have faced in the United States. This Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction winner features stories about the oppressive history of Indian boarding schools, balancing survival of the self and of tribal traditions, identity, alcoholism, and violence. This is a difficult, but important, short story collection to add to your to-read list.
Spring Break Reading Group: We Should All Be Feminists
Wednesday, March 22, 11am to 12pm on Twitter
The Spring Break Reading Group will happen virtually via Twitter over spring break, so you can join this event from wherever you’ll be next week! Read the TEDx Talk’s adaptation and follow the conversation with @iSchoolUI and others.
Before the event, read We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is known for her novels like Americanah and Purple Hibiscus, but she is also known for her discussion of feminism in her TEDx Talk “We Should All Be Feminists.” The great success of this talk led to the written adaptation of the same name. In this 49-page essay, she discusses how gender divides and discrimination harms everyone.
Bonus points: also watch the film adaptation of Adichie’s book Half of a Yellow Sun
Half of a Yellow Sun is one of Adichie’s best known novels, but it was also adapted to film. The story focuses on twin girls born into a wealthy Nigerian family. They have a falling out when their life choices lead them down different paths. As Nigeria comes closer to civil war, the story explores the twins’ relationships with others and themselves.
Hot Topics — Herstories and the Futures of Arab Feminisms
Monday, March 27, 7–9 pm at the Women’s Resources Center
Interested in Arab women’s activism? This is the event for you! Come chat about Arab Feminisms with your campus community. Hot Topics is a discussion series hosted by the Women’s Resources Center and the YWCA. Refreshments are provided.
Before you go, read Headscarves and Hymens : Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution by Mona Eltahawy
Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian-American journalist, exposes the fights women in the Middle East have been taking on since the Arab Spring: fighting oppressive men in power pre-Arab Spring, and now, fighting against an entire political and economic system that oppresses women in Egypt and other Arab countries. Learn more about her perspective in this call to action.
The Consent Workshop | Sexual Health Series
Friday, April 14, 2-3pm at the Women’s Resource Center
If you’ve ever felt like you needed more practice with consent, attend this consent workshop, a part of the Women’s Resource Center’s Sexual Health Series. Learn how to identify consent, build healthier relationships, and make the world a safer and less violent place.
After you go, apply what you learned to Unsportsmanlike Conduct : College Football and the Politics of Rape by Jessica Luther
This expose of the politics of campus sports and sexual assault demands change from universities, the NCAA, athletic departments, athletes, and the media. Time and time again athletes in schools and professional sports organizations are not held accountable for acts of violence toward their peers or partners. Jessica Luther, an investigative journalist, explores how and why this happens and advocates for a safer and better world.
We hope you have a great Women’s History Month, and be sure to check out our Women in Television display on the Upper Level of the UGL! We hope we’ve covered the major Women’s History Month events happening around campus… but if we missed anything, let us know! Check out our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
