International women’s issues, cultures and celebrations; women and art, literature, science and sports; and race, ethnicity, equality and power are all being explored at the UO during Women’s Heritage Month.

Officially known as Women’s History Month by the federal government, the UO celebrates Women’s Heritage Month each March. Included are events for International Women’s Day, officially March 8. Throughout the month a variety of events will provide women and those of all genders many opportunities to connect and celebrate, honor and highlight the work and contributions of women.

In a video interview for Women’s History Month, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion Yvette Alex-Assensoh spoke of honoring the ability of women to connect and advance change.

“I think that when you look at the ways in which women have advanced over the years a lot of that occurred because of the importance of relationship building,” she said. “Of course, women worked with strategists and they were intellectually savvy …. But I think women also have an ability to connect and to remind us of the importance of connection. And so in celebrating Women's History Month, I'd like to find ways in which different kinds of women like to connect, and not just for the purpose of achieving a particular end but just for the purpose of connecting and getting to know one another.”

Kicking off the month on March 3 is the third annual International Women’s Day networking event and panel “Finding Your Voice.” The event is co-sponsored by the UO Women’s Center, Graduate School, and Lundquist College of Business. It takes place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Gerlinger Lounge.

Also celebrating International Women’s Day is the International Womxn’s Day Celebration sponsored by the UO Women’s Center. The March 11 event is 6 to 9 p.m. at the Erb Memorial Union ballroom.

The keynote speaker will be Vera Sebulsky, interim associate director of graduate advising and student experience. The event will also include international food, educational presentations and cultural performances from around the globe.

The Women’s Center describes the event as a “a safe and inclusive space for students of all genders to honor Womxn and their global cultures, as well as to celebrate strides toward gender equity and international peace.”

On March 7, UO Women in Graduate Sciences will celebrate with the sixth annual winter benefit from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Giustina Ballroom at the Ford Alumni Center. The event will feature Rebecca Lai, professor of chemistry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, whose lab focuses on biosensor research. A sit-down dinner and silent auction also will be held.

A number of other lectures and presentations will be offered throughout the month.

Associate professor Lamia Karim of the UO Department of Anthropology will present the talk “The Arc of Change: Inter-generational Changes Among Garment Workers in Bangladesh” on March 3 from 4 to 5 p.m in the Erb Memorial Union’s Miller Room. The talk is part of a labor research colloquim series presented by the UO Labor Education and Research Center.

A panel discussion by women who have returned from the Peace Corps will take place March 3 from 4 to 5 p.m. in Room 141, Erb Memorial Union. Panelists will address their experiences in the Peace Corps and answer questions for those who may be interested in joining.

Karla F.C. Holloway, James B. Duke Professor Emerita of English and Law at Duke University, will speak on “From Fact to Fiction: A Life in Letters.” Halloway’s research and teaching have included African American literary and cultural studies, bioethics, gender and law.

Her talk is sponsored by the Center for the Study of Women in Society as part of the Lorwin Lectureship on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties series. It will be held March 4 in the Ford Lecture Room at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art from noon to 1:30 p.m. 

The Center for the Study of Women in Society is also a sponsor of two other talks during Women’s Heritage Month. UO economics professor Amna Javed will speak on “An Exploratory Analysis of Honor Killings in Pakistan” on March 9  from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Room 330, Hendricks Hall.  

John Collins, an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at Queens College and the City University of New York Graduate Center, will speak on “Recent Crises in Representation and Racialized Mediation: Afro-Brazilian Women, Life History, and Democratic Emergency in Brazil.” The lecture will be March 16 from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the EMU's Lease Crutcher Room. It is part of the center’s Race, Ethnicities, and Inequalities Colloquium and is co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the School of Law.

The Museum of Natural and Cultural History is sponsoring a panel presentation of “Local Legends: Women in Sports.” The panel will include Bev Smith, three-time Olympian and former UO women’s basketball player and coach; Becky Sisley, a USA Track and Field masters American and world record-holder; Lois Youngen, a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League; and Grace Golden, a Becky L. Sisley Awardee and the program director and clinical research coordinator for the graduate athletic training program in the UO’s Department of Physiology. The event will be held at the museum March 12 at 6 p.m.

A UO Insight Seminar will be offered on John Webster’s Duchess of Malfi and The White Devil. The tragedies depict strong women struggling for independence in corrupt families and dangerous love affairs. Professor of English Lara Bovilsky will be the presenter for this noncredit course which takes place on four Saturdays in March from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the Knight Library Browsing Room March 7 and 14  and the Baker Downtown Center March 21 and 28.  Register at UO Insight Seminars.

For more information on these events, check out the Women’s Heritage Month page on the Division of Equity and Inclusion website.

—By tova stabin, University Communications