Women's History Month

Women's History Month

As you know, March is Women’s History Month, and Sunday, March 8, was International Women’s Day. In our newsletter, Chrysalis Connection, you learned that this year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “an equal world is an enabled world,” intended to challenge gender bias and stereotypes and celebrate women’s achievements. According to the International Women’s Day website, The race is on for the gender equal boardroom, a gender equal government, gender equal media coverage, gender equal workplaces, gender equal sports coverage, more gender equality in health and wealth ... so let's make it happen. Let's be #EachforEqual. 

In the spirit of equity, Des Moines University and a number of community partners will include civil rights icon Dolores Huerta (our 2019 INSPIRED Event keynote speaker)

in a celebration to recognize both Huerta and Cesar Chavez the evening of March 31 from 5:30 to 7 pm at Des Moines University.

The duo co-founded what is today the American Farms Workers Union and dedicated their lives to the well-being of migrant farmworkers, the Latina/o population,

and oppressed populations – causes which Dolores Huerta continues to champion today.

I have attached a poster with details for the event and invite you to join me if you’d like to learn more about these two, as well as remarkable Latina/o community members.

In honor of Women’s History Month, TIME Magazine has selected 100 “Women of the Year” since its “Person of the Year” has more often been a man. After over 70 years immortalizing its “Man of the Year” on the magazine cover, TIME changed the title to “Person of the Year” in 1999.

In addition to recreating original magazine covers, TIME editors commissioned 49 original portraits and created 89 new magazine covers for the project, highlighting notable women and groups including THE SUGGRAGISTS (1920), featuring Carrie Chapman Catt among the group of 5 prominent women in the movement. Catt lived in Iowa from age 7, graduated from the Iowa State Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in 1880, founded the League of Women Voters and the International Alliance of Women, and was credited with much of the success of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920, giving women the right to vote.

Admittedly, editors of TIME ascribed to the “great man theory of history” and featured, almost always, men. Not until the magazine’s leadership included women did featured “persons” more commonly become women. Former editor-in-chief Nancy Gibbs notes ”Likewise in Congress and courtrooms and corner offices and ivory towers, it was largely men who were writing the first draft of history, deciding what mattered, and who mattered, and why.”

Here is just a glimpse of a few covers; to see all 100, go to 100 Women of the Year. On this site you can read about each of these 100 women to learn about their unique strength and powerful achievements. (NOTE: 3 of the 100 women have been keynote speakers at Chrysalis events: Gloria Steinem, Dr. Angela Davis, and Dolores Huerta!)Anna May Wong, 1928 by Time

Louise Rosenfield Noun might be an honorary member of this group, with a list of accomplishments, including many published books, to her name. Saturday, March 7, is the 112th anniversary of her birth – so appropriate that her birthday is included in Women’s History Month and connected to International Women’s Day.Happy birthday, Louise!