Women’s History Month Begins: Events to Showcase the Contributions of Women

This month, students on campus will have the opportunity to learn more about the contributions of women to our society. The Women and Gender Studies Center will be hosting Women’s History Month at George Mason University this March. Through performances, art and seminars, officials involved in making Women’s History Month hope to educate students on women’s issues.

“During Women’s History Month, we strive to raise awareness of women’s and gender issues as they intersect with issues of race, class, ethnicity, sexuality, religion and other additional aspects of identity and culture,” said the Associate Director of the Women and Gender Studies Center Vicki Kirsch.

“It is also a time to celebrate the contributions by women to all aspects of cultural and political life.” Through events such as the Reve(a)ling Feminist Art Gallery that will be in the Johnson Center 123 Gallery, Kirsch hopes that students will gain a better understanding of feminism.

“The Feminist Art Show is always thrilling,” said Kirsch, “and this year we invited artists from Empowered Women International, an organization we have collaborated with in the past, to join our Mason artists to give a broader and perhaps deeper response to the questions evoked by the notion of Feminist Art.” Students are invited to attend the opening and reception of Reve(a)ling Feminist Art on March 3 from 3 to 5 p.m., where Professor Sue Wrbican will be giving a talk.

Students can also attend other events going on through March. “The Kitchen Table: Stirring the Pot-Deconstructing: Identity, Sexuality and Queerness” will be taking place in Mason Hall, Conference Room D3 on March 21 from 1 to 6 p.m. According to a Women’s History Month flier, “This one-day retreat will examine and dissect the meanings and symbols associated with identity, sexuality and queerness.

“We will explore the various characteristics assigned to women by modern-day society and deconstruct these stereotypes through group discussions, personal reflection and artistic expression.” Sophomore global affairs major Lauren Allen was excited for the month’s events. “I think it is an important awareness month, like Black History month,” said Allen.

“I think the most people know about women’s history is the suffrage movement, which is important since it gave women the right to vote, but there are also many other points in history that gave women opportunities.” “[In modern society] women and men are still not fully equal, even in America, and especially in other places in the world where people in their culture [were] brought up to view women in a certain way. “All in all, this is a very exciting month for us,” said Kirsch.