2017 UofM Women's History Month

'who run the world?'

The theme for Women's History Month 2017 is 'Who Run the World?' A vibrant democracy requires persistent engagement in public service. Women's commitment to public service is all around us. The recent women's marches, writing campaigns and postcard parties, support of the sciences and the environment, and demands for social justice are just a few examples of women's commitment to active public service. This month, we honor women and share their stories, with a special focus on the countless women who have dedicated their lives to leadership and public service.

Natalie Eddings's Artist Statement

W. E. B. Du Bois was a scholar in the humanities. As a historian, author, sociologist and activist, Du Bois fought for the rights of minorities in this country. While he is known for co-founding the NAACP and writing The Souls of Black Folk, Du Bois also was on the frontline as a fighter for Woman Suffrage. He is a prime example of one who does not solely advocate for those that look and live like him. The figure in Page 45- 46 is consuming the words of W. E. B. Du Bois as she walks forward into whatever this world may bring her. She hopes to absorb the intellectual power and soulful passion that Du Bois had as he struggled with fellow man to win rights for all.

- Natalie Eddings, junior, Photography and Spanish major

Calendar of Events

View this year's Women's History Month Calendar of Events in PDF format!

March 1

Women's History Month Opening Ceremony
11 AM to 1 PM in the UC Atrium

Women's History Month 2017 will open with an event in which diverse faculty and students engage with the "Who Runs The World?" theme. This event aims to transform the UC so that students passing through can learn about Women's History Month events and take part in photo opportunities and activities that raise awareness about the month and its programming. There will also be a feminism fair and WHM shirts for sale.
Sponsored by the History Department.

Dance your way into Women's History Month 
12:30 - 1 PM on the UC Lawn

Join us for some Zumba fun on the UC Lawn! Exercise doesn't have to be boring,so bring a friend and dance some stress away. This program is encouraging females to keep moving and be active because being physically active increases self-esteem and confidence! 

Sponsored by University of Memphis Campus Recreation.

March 5

Emily Albrink, soprano
3 PM in the Harris Concert Hall

SPRING BREAK: March 6-12

March 13

#UniversalWomenMemphis
11 AM to 1 PM in the UC Atrium

March 14

Memphis Softball vs. Texas A&M
5:30 PM at the Tigers Softball Complex

Hidden Figures
7-9:30 PM in the UC Theatre

Come see the Academy Award-nominated film that everyone is talking about! The true story of a team of African-American women who were instrumental in the success of NASA's earliest missions.

Sponsored by the Herff College of Engineering.

March 15

Spa Day
10 AM - 2 PM in the Relaxation Zone, Wilder 211

The 3rd Annual Spa Day provides the opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to experience the benefit of the Relaxation Zone at the university. Spa Day is intended to help students learn how to manage the stress, demands and responsibilities they deal with in deal with in their day-to-day lives.
Sponsored by the Counseling Center.

Sigma Kapitol
11 AM - 2 PM in the in the UC Atrium

At our table, we will provide lollipops attached to cards, which will each detail an important woman in history – specifically women in politics. There will also be a Women's History Month picture prop to take pictures with a post on social media.
Sponsored by Sigma Kappa.

UofM LAMBUTH: Angela Snider, J.D., Alumnae, "Blazing Your Trail: How to Find Your Purpose and Live Out Your Calling" 

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM in the Varnell-Jones Hall Wisdom Parlor

"Who Run the World": Community Organizers featuring Tamara Sawyer of the Memphis Black Lives Matter movement and more
7 PM in the UC Theatre

Tami Sawyer is the Director, Diversity & Cultural Competence with Teach For America Memphis and a speaker, social justice organizer and education advocate. Tami is an alumna of the University of Memphis and attended Howard University School of Law. She is a recognized leader in the Black Lives Matter movement in Memphis, TN. Tami was a featured speaker at TEDx Memphis 2016 and the 2015 Memphis Justice or Else Rally. In 2016, she was a social justice oriented candidate for Tennessee State Representative. Tami is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the Links, Incorporated. She is governance chair of the Board of Planned Parenthood of the Greater Memphis Region, board member of Let's Innovate Through Education and the Political Planning Chair of the Memphis Branch of the NAACP.

Sponsored by the Departments of Political Science, African and African American Studies and Criminology and Criminal Justice.

UofM LAMBUTH: Women's History Month: "Who Run the World" with spoken word poet, Katie Wirsing
7 - 8 PM in Wilder College Union, Jack Morris Ballroom

Katie Wirsing, a nationally-ranked spoken word poet who focuses on issues including gender, love, sexuality, and spirituality, will deliver
Sponsored by the University of Memphis Lambuth Student Services.

March 16

Women in Words: An Invitational Student Reading
7 - 9 PM in Patterson Hall 456

An invitational student reading during which three undergraduate and graduate students will read original poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. The reading will be followed by a reception with refreshments.

Sponsored by the English Department.

March 17

"All the Single Ladies": Spinsters, Bachelor Maids, and Unmarried Women in American History, Dr. Cookie Woolner
12:45 - 1:45 PM in Mitchell Auditorium

Come hear a lecture (with pizza!) on the experiences and representations of unmarried women throughout American history. This lecture ultimately seeky to empower single women, narrate their accomplishments, and show their increased reception in society over time.
Sponsored by the History Department.

March 18 

Service on Saturday
8:30 AM to 1 PM in the Rose Theater Lobby

March 20 - 24

Free Yourself Week

Free Yourself Week is a week dedicated to encouraging Panhellenic women to go a week without makeup and be confident in their natural skin – it will be a social media campaign. This year, Kappa Delta will also be doing a tabling event entitled "Trash Your Insecurities" where all women are invited to write down an insecurity, ball up the piece of paper, and throw it away. This event is meant to empower all women to accept their flaws and symbolically trash their negative feelings about themselves. Kappa Delta stands on a platform of confidence and this week will be all about empowering and encouraging our fellow women. 
Sponsored by Kappa Delta.

March 20

Spring Into Fitness with a Friend
12:30 - 1 PM on the UC Lawn

Come celebrate the first day of Spring and International Day of Happiness by doing a partner workout on the UC Lawn. Be prepared to laugh, get a quick workout, and learn some new exercises all while having fun with friends!

Sponsored by University of Memphis Campus Recreation.

March 21

Women's History Month March 
12 - 1 PM on the Alumni Mall 

The women's history month march will be led by faculty, staff, students and alumni in support of women's and/or human rights.
Sponsored by Tigers First.

March 22

I am a woman but...
11 AM - 2 PM in the UC Atrium

Lunch with a Leader
12:30 - 2 PM in the UC Fountain View Room

In celebration of Women's History Month, the University of Memphis will host our fifth Women's History Month "Lunch with a Leader." Female students will lunch with a small circle of professional women, providing an opportunity for honest conversation about navigating career and personal successes and obstacles.
RSVP required; send them to ldgraff@memphis.edu.
Sponsored by Student Leadership and Women in Leadership and Philanthropy.

March 23

Women Students' Luncheon 
11:30 AM 

Women's Military Experience and Beyond
1 - 2:30 PM in UC Poplar Room

Retired military Navy women Pollyanna Neely, Master Chief Petty Officer and founder of "Active Veterans with Answers" and Dionne Archibald, Master Chief Petty Officer and co-founder of "Active Veterans with Answers" will share their experiences in the military and how this impacted their life beyond service with an education and a strong will to continue to serve. Reception to follow in the Veteran's Resource Center.
Sponsored by the Veteran's Resource Center.

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Challenging the Myths of Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement and in the Age of Black Lives Matter, Belle McWilliams Lecture in American History
5 PM reception, 6 PM program in the UC River Room

Rosa Parks is one of the most well-known Americans of the 20th century, lauded by the New York Times when she died as the "accidental matriarch of the civil rights movement." But much of what is known about her distorts her life and politics and the movements she was active in across the 20th century. Parks wasn't meek or passive or a one-hit wonder, but a lifelong activist around issues of racial, economic, global, and criminal justice. This talk will examine Rosa Parks' "life history of being rebellious," as she put it, in the process challenging many of the myths of Parks and the civil rights movement in circulation today.
Sponsored by the History Department and the Marcus Orr Center for the Humanities.

4th Annual Blue Pump Gala
6 PM at the Memphis Botanic Gardens

This event is hosted each year by the Southeast Transportation Workforce Center and our Society of Female Transportation Professionals (now incorporating as a WTS chapter). The program recognizes outstanding women in the transportation profession and is a fund raiser for students pursuing transportation majors at UofM.

Tickets are $50. Visit memphis.edu/setwc for more information.

Sponsored by SETWC, Vaco Logistics and CN.

March 24

Trash Your Insecurities 
10:30 AM - 2 PM in the UC Atrium

Exhibition Opening: "Who Run the World"
4:30 - 7:30 PM in the Art Museum of the University of Memphis

The Art Museum of the University of Memphis will be opening a new exhibit that will contain a display of work by and about women and power from university museum collections.

Sponsored by the University of Memphis Art Museum. 

March 25

P.A.U.S.E. 9th Annual Women's Conference
9 AM to 3 PM on the 3rd floor of the UC

This annual program hosted by P.A.U.S.E. will feature nine workshops as well as a morning speaker, .
Sponsored by Professional Assertive Women of Excellence and the Student Event Allocation.

March 27

Women's Power: Strength Training Workshop 
4 PM at the Student Recreation and Fitness Center

Come learn how to strength train using the proper form and learn about the equipment that will help you achieve your strength goals. 
Sponsored by University of Memphis Campus Recreation.

March 28

Women's History Trivia
7 - 8:30 PM in TOMs Restaurant

March 29

Floortalk about selected works on exhibition
11:30 AM at the Art Museum of the University of Memphis

March 30

Memphis Women's Summit
8 AM - 5 PM in the UC and Rose Theatre

For more information and to register, please visit memphiswomenssummit.com
Sponsored by Junior League of Memphis.

Can a Cell Have a Sex? Sarah Richardson, Harvard University, Simco Lecture 
6 PM reception, 6:30 program in the UC Theatre

The scientific community is increasingly embracing the idea that "Every cell has a sex," or that every cell within the body is in some way affected by the organism's sex. This understanding of the concept of sex raises complicated questions about the nature of sexual identity, including legal interpretations of sexual identity in the case of transgender and intersex individuals and debates over sex-testing in elite competitive sports. It also differs from historical understandings of sex. The notion that sex inheres in every cell raises philosophically tantalizing questions that lie right at the intersection of philosophy of biology, metaphysics, and feminist philosophy: When should we attribute the parts of an organism – organs, tissues, cells – the same qualities as the whole individual? And, if a cell can have a sex, what, precisely, is sex?
Sponsored by Department of Philosophy and the Marcus W. Orr Center for the Humanities.

March 31

Women's History Month Closing
2-3:30 PM in the UC Ballroom 

At the closing, we will recognize women honored for their commitment to leadership and service, and our keynote speaker is faculty member Dr. Rosie Phillips-Bingham. UofM faculty, staff and students can complete a recognition form. The closing ceremony is your opportunity to honor a woman who helps "Run the World"! In a paragraph or two, tell us about a woman in your life (mother, sister, aunt, teacher, student, mentor etc.) who exemplifies our theme. You can make your submission here until March 28. 

Coming Out Monologues
6 - 9 PM in the UC Theatre 

Stonewall Tigers will be hosting a production of the coming out experience for members of the LGBT+ community, their supporters, family, and friends.

Sponsored by the Student Event Allocation Committee.

*Unless otherwise stated, all events are free and open to the public.

**Please email whm@memphis.edu with questions.