Women's History Month 2017

Women's History Month home | Back to Events

Online Quiz - "Test Your Knowledge"

The Texas Tech University Women's & Gender Studies is celebrating Women's History Month by showcasing women past, present and future. Taking inspiration from the National Women's History Project, we honor women who helped create a better world for the times in which they lived as well as for future generations.

Take the quiz now!

March 1 - April 6
Women Who Shaped Texas Tech - Southwest Collection

TTU Library | Croslin Room

Beginning in 2014, the Texas Tech University Archives has chosen to honor a select group of women with an annual exhibit featuring groundbreaking, plucky and ambitious alumnae and faculty who have shaped Texas Tech's history.

The exhibit, a celebration of Women's History Month, is being held in two buildings this year. The Croslin Room of the Library will host a large exhibit of artifacts, clothing and photographs related to Texas Tech women. Included will be 11 exhibit panels featuring honorees from the previous two years' exhibits, as well as six oversized posters of women who have realized major university milestones.

The SWC/SCL will host the newest honorees of the exhibit. The honorees are:

• Jeannine McHaney, founder of the women's athletic program at Texas Tech.
• Ginger Kerrick, an alumna of the physics department who became the first Latina flight director at NASA.
• Tina Fuentes, a nationally established artist who taught at Texas Tech for more than 30 years.
• Anita Harrison, the first Lubbock-born Latina to attend Lubbock schools K-12, attend all undergraduate years at Texas Tech and successfully graduate.
• Stella Courtney Crockett, the first African-American graduate who attended K-12 schools in Lubbock and all four consecutive years at Texas Tech.

For more information visit the , contact B. Lynn Whitfield, Texas Tech University archivist at SWC/SCL, at lynn.whitfield@ttu.edu.

March 1 - Women of Color Day

In 1981, the National Institute for Women of Color (NIWC) was established to build a strong national network for women of African, Alaska Native, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic, Latina and Pacific Island heritages and to advance the issues of Women of Color. These efforts resulted in National Strategies Conferences for Women of Color in 1982 and 1983 in Washington, DC, 1984 in Reno, Nevada and 1987 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 

Since then it's annually observed on March 1 and features different programs, that are held across the USA and in other countries.

The Soul of Black Girls: The Image of Women of Color in the Media
5:30 p.m. | Holden Hall RM 006

Filmmaker Daphne Valerius's award-winning documentary The Souls of Black Girls explores how media images of beauty undercut the self-esteem of African-American women. Valerius surveys the dominant white, light-skinned, and thin ideals of beauty that circulate in the culture, from fashion magazines to film and music video, and talks with African-American girls and women about how these images affect the way they see themselves. The film also features powerful commentary from rapper and activist Chuck D, actresses Regina King and Jada Pinkett Smith, PBS news anchor Gwen Ifill, cultural critic Michaela Angela Davis, and others. Over the years, The Souls of Black Girls has screened at hundreds of universities and organizations around the country, and earned Valerius the Rising Female Filmmaker Award at the Harlem Int'l Film Festival. In 2015, it aired on ASPIRE TV in association with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, earning Valerius a trip to the White House as an invited guest of First Lady Michelle Obama.

Resources

March 8 - International Women's Day 

Annually on 8 March, thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements. International Women's Day has been observed since in the early 1900's, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

• #PledgeforParity campaign
  DOAK Hall 123 | 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  FREE and open to the public
• Suffragette (2015) Film Screening
  ENG/PHIL Bldg. 0001 |6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
  FREE and open to the public

In early 20th-century Britain, the growing suffragette movement forever changes the life of working wife and mother Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan). Galvanized by political activist Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep), Watts joins a diverse group of women who fight for equality and the right to vote. Faced with increasing police action, Maud and her dedicated suffragettes must play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, risking their jobs, homes, family and lives for a just cause.

March 21

Difficult Discussions: Intersectionality
(TTU student lead initiative)
5:00 p.m. | SUB Matador RM

March 24

Bear Witness: When #SayHerName is Not Enough
Showcase Kimberle Crenshaw: The Urgency of Intersectionality, TED Talk (2016, TEDWomen)
12:00 p.m. - 1:20 p.m. |Human Science 173

Now more than ever, it's important to look boldly at the reality of race and gender bias — and understand how the two can combine to create even more harm. Kimberlé Crenshaw uses the term "intersectionality" to describe this phenomenon; as she says, if you're standing in the path of multiple forms of exclusion, you're likely to get hit by both. In this moving talk, she calls on us to bear witness to this reality and speak up for victims of prejudice.

These events are part of Texas Tech University Diversity Week.

March 29

Difficult Discussions:  State of the Sisterhood
(TTU student lead initiative)
6:00 p.m. | Education Bldg. RM 001

March 30

Women in Service
Hosted by Cross-Cultural Academic Advancement Center
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | Student Union Bldg. |  Matador Room

Women in Service is an open discussion forum hosted by the Cross-Cultural Academic Advancement Center. The purpose of this program is to provide a platform to discuss various factors pertaining to the shifting roles of women in the military. A panel discussion will be held in attempt to gather insight and opinions from current military personnel. Panelists will include men and women from the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines. This program will allow attendees to receive a comprehensive understanding of the many viewpoints regarding this growing topic. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions to all the participating panelists in hopes to have an engaging and motivating discussion.

March 31

Trans Day of Visibility: Helping with the Journey for Transgender People
Hosted by the Office of LGBTQIA
9:00 a.m.  | Student Union Bldg. | Caprock Room

Presenter: Kelly Bennett, M.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine

This presentation involves identifying and understanding relevant terminology and epidemiology of transgender individuals. We will discuss the medical transition process, while evaluating the risk factors associated with such a journey. Future Reproductive issues will also be discussed and at the end we will focus on the local and national community resources for the community. While this presentation will be from the perspective of a medical practitioner, questions pertaining to the social experiences associated with transitioning may be posed for follow-up by the Texas Tech Center for Campus Life, Office of LGBTQIA. Registration is required by March 27; space is limited. The registration process is being handled through TTU TLPDC and will be available soon.