In celebration of women’s contributions to all aspects of American society, BCLS is connecting you to events, movies, and books this Women’s History Month! 

Observed in the US since 1987, Women’s History Month is themed each year by The National Women’s History Alliance. This year, the organization commemorates “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” Simultaneously, International Women’s Day is on March 8 this year, with the theme of “Inspire Inclusion.” IWD has been held since 1911 and is a day of collective global activism.

Throughout most feminist movements, there have been many women who have been excluded from the fight for gender equality. By including Black, Indigenous, disabled, impoverished, and all marginalized groups of women we encourage visibility and empowerment. 

This year, BCLS encourages you to explore our collection and events in celebration and support of women from all backgrounds. Here’s just a few ways you can do so: 

Events
Dr. Jacquelin Agostini, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist that specializes in treating mental health problems through talk therapy. Throughout the month of March, Dr. Agostini will provide a four week program focused on the history of women’s contributions to America’s past and present. 

Choose from the Friday four-week program or the Tuesday four-week program and delve into the (Her)story of the United States.

All classes are held both in-person or virtually. You do not need to attend all of the classes, but you do have to register for each class individually. 

Friday Classes

• Day 1: March 1 - In-Person or Virtual - Jersey Strong: Women from New Jersey who helped lay the foundation of women’s rights including the right to vote.
• Day 2: March 8 - In-Person or Virtual - Educated Women: Women who pioneered access to education for all women. These pioneers were on the frontline of combating misogyny and racism.
• Day 3: March 15 - In-Person or Virtual - Book Talk: Shining a Light on (Her) Story by Dr. Jackie Agostini is a book that focuses on the importance of recording our story and the stories of our ancestors for the sake of your progeny. Members will be encouraged to share their stories in class.
• Day 4: March 22 - In-Person or Virtual - Women Who Chase the Sun: As we approach the total solar eclipse that will take place over North America on April 8, we will explore a few of the many women who have chased the Sun for the benefit of all, from antiquity through present day

Tuesday Classes

• Day 1: March 5 - In-Person or Virtual - Jersey Strong: Women from New Jersey who helped lay the foundation of women’s rights including the right to vote.
• Day 2: March 12 - In-Person or Virtual - Educated Women: Women who pioneered access to education for all women. These pioneers were on the frontline of combating misogyny and racism.
• Day 3: March 19 - In-Person or Virtual - Book Talk: Shining a Light on (Her) Story by Dr. Jackie Agostini is a book that focuses on the importance of recording our story and the stories of our ancestors for the sake of your progeny. Members will be encouraged to share their stories in class.
• Day 4: March 26 - In-Person or Virtual - Women Who Chase the Sun: As we approach the total solar eclipse that will take place over North America on April 8, we will explore a few of the many women who have chased the Sun for the benefit of all, from antiquity through present day

Books

Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith Heumann 
Judy Heumann was a lifelong advocate for disability rights in the United States. A Philadelphia native born to German Jewish immigrants, she contracted polio at 18 months old and used a wheelchair for most of her life. This memoir details her fight for the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act which makes public and educational spaces more accessible.

Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
In “the hood” many women are left without proper healthcare, food insecurity, safe neighborhoods and a living wage. Mikki Kendall argues that what modern feminism lacks is equity. In this book, you’ll discover the many ways that providing for women's basic needs is just as important as fighting for gender equality in the workplace.  

Poet Warrior by Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo, US Poet Laureate for three terms and the first Native American to hold the position, writes this memoir about finding poetry as a way to connect to family, ancestors, and the world around her. In this second memoir she weaves a story of her activism, the loss of her mother, and those who have inspired and shaped her poetry. 

Year of the Tiger by Alice Wong
Alice Wong is an Asian American woman, disabled activist and founder of the Disability Visibility Project. In this collection of original essays, previously published work, and more, Wong creates a scrapbook of her life as an activist, a community organizer, an Asian American disabled woman, and a lover of food and pop culture. By reading this book, you’ll see the many ways that there is strength in the intersections between race, disability, and sex. 

Films to Stream on Kanopy:

Amy Tan: An Unintended Memoir (2021)
Trigger Warning: This film contains discussion of suicide, domestic violence, and sexual violence.
Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club, is a critically acclaimed novelist whose writing often discusses the generational trauma of Asian Americans. In this documentary, you’ll learn about how Amy Tan grew up through the loss of her father and brother and reconnecting with her mother through learning about her life in China before moving to the US.  

Becoming Helen Keller (2021)
Although she lived a vibrant 87 years of a life as an activist for disability, civil and women’s rights, Helen Keller’s life is often reduced to her struggle to overcome her disabilities as a child. This PBS documentary instead provides a critical look at her work as an adult as well as some of her controversial positions. 

Dolores (2018)
Women make significant contributions to various activist movements, but are often not given as much credit as their male counterparts. Dolores Huerta, working right alongside César Chávez, tirelessly fought for racial and labor justice by founding the first farm workers union in the United States. 

Fannie Lou Hamer’s America (2022) 
A less well-known leader in the civil rights movement in Mississippi, Fannie Lou Hamer founded the Freedom Democratic Party and fought the rights of Black folks to vote. Fannie Lou Hamer grew up the impoverished 20th child of two cotton sharecroppers in the Mississippi Delta and began her fight in the civil rights movement after a non-consensual hysterectomy by a white doctor. 

Movies to Borrow on DVD: 

Hidden Figures (2016)
A biographical drama about the team of female African American mathematicians who worked at NASA during the space race. Originally math teachers in the South’s segregated public schools, the shortage caused by WWII brought them into the US’s aeronautics industry. Though segregated by both race and sex, these women helped NASA achieve major successes during the Cold War. 

He Named Me Malala (2015)
Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani teenager at the time of this documentary, survived an attack by the Taliban after speaking up for women’s educational rights. This film shows her fight for women’s rights in Pakistan including the events leading up to the violence committed against her and all that happened after. 

Confirmation (2016)
Starring Kerry Washington, this dramatized film on Anita Hill’s testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee the sexual harassment she underwent at the hands of Clarence Thomas. In 1991, Clarence Thomas was nominated for the US Supreme Court by George H.W. Bush and seemed to be a shoo-in, but when the press leaks that the FBI conducted a private interview with Anita Hill alleging sexual harassment, the Senate hearings are reopened. Anita Hill is called to testify and the Senate must decide what the truth is. 

The Joy Luck Club (1993)
Based on the book by Amy Tan, this film tells the story of four Chinese immigrant women in San Francisco, who create a club, The Joy Luck Club, as a way to form a community. Each woman has remarried in the United States and has Chinese American children. The book and movie are largely based on the life of Amy Tan, her mother Daisy Li, and their participation in their own Joy Luck Club. Watching this movie will make you feel the power that women and mothers have and how their contributions are meaningful. 

Happy Women's History Month!