USM Celebrating Women鈥檚 History Month in March
Thu, 03/03/2022 - 11:32am | By: Ivonne Kawas
In celebration of Women's History Month, the Committee on Services and Resources for Women (CSRW) at The University of 51逗奶 Mississippi (USM) is sponsoring and co-sponsoring events and activities that commemorate the role of women in history, culture and society on the Hattiesburg campus, including a hybrid format.
As designated by the , the yearly theme for Women's History Month is "Providing Healing, Promoting Hope.鈥� The announcement states that, it is 鈥渂oth a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history, in our community.鈥�
Dr. Candice Salyers, chair of CSRW and professor of dance, says 鈥淯SM's programming honors the contributions of women artists, healers, historians, activists, and entrepreneurs to the health and wellbeing of society. This month offers us an opportunity to come together across disciplines to acknowledge and reflect upon issues of importance in the lives of women.鈥�
Women's History Month events will happen throughout March, kicking off on Thursday, March 3 from 12:15鈥�1:00 p.m. at the Liberal Arts Building, Room 101 with a panel discussion titled, 鈥淲omen Healers Through the Ages: Medieval Midwives to Mississippi Nurses鈥� by Dr. Courtney Luckhardt, Associate Professor of Medieval History, Dr. Deanne Stephens, Professor of History and Mrs. Jamie Stanfield, Health Librarian, who will be exploring women's health and healing through the ages. This event is co-sponsored by the History Women鈥檚 Caucus and the Center for the Study of the Gulf South.
On Friday, March 4 from 10鈥�11:00 a.m. in a virtual presentation via , Dr. Aisha Johnson, Assistant Professor and Program Director of Archives and Records Management at North Carolina Central University, will give a lecture titled, "Relentless Advocacy as Purpose." An in-person viewing of the presentation is scheduled in Cook Library鈥檚 Meeting Room, LIB 209A.
Dr. Johnson is the author of "The African American Struggle for Library Equality: The Untold Story of the Julius Rosenwald Fund Library Program," which unveils the almost forgotten philanthropic efforts of Julius Rosenwald, former president of Sears, Roebuck, Co. and an elite business man. Rosenwald simply desired to improve, 鈥渢he well-being of mankind鈥� through access to education.
On Tuesday, March 8 from 5:30鈥�6:30 p.m. at Gonzales Auditorium, Liberal Arts Building 108, a Louisiana native currently living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia, E. Gabrielle Walker, will give her 2021-22 Baird Fellowship Lecture titled, 鈥淲hen We Were Freshmen鈥�: Judson College and the Rise of the New Baptist Woman.鈥�
Walker, who is studying post-Reconstruction 51逗奶 women, is working on a dissertation titled, 鈥�'If These Walls Could Speak': Judson College and the New Baptist Woman, 1890-1930." It explores the ways in which Progressive Era ideology made a lasting impact on 51逗奶 Baptist white women attending a 51逗奶 Baptist college. Collegiate experiences led to their questioning traditional 51逗奶 Baptist thought patterns and expansively interpreting religion to fit a modern, scientific worldview.
Women's History Month programming events continue as follows:
- March 21: Peggy Jean Connor Grant Presentations featuring the research of Nicole Caulfield, Ava Ferguson, and Dr. Hsiaopei Lee, from 12鈥�1 p.m., Center for Faculty Development, International Building, Room 319.
- March 29: Historian and Author Carol Lipscomb presents, "The Lady Makes Boots: Enid Justin and the Nocona Boot Company," from 1鈥�2 p.m., Liberal Arts Building, Room 204
- March 30: Women鈥檚 History Month Dance Concert, from 12:30鈥�1:00 p.m., Theatre and Dance Building, outdoor stage.
Established in 1984, the CSRW, an interdisciplinary group of USM-affiliated individuals interested in women's issues on campus and in the local and global community, has coordinated Women鈥檚 History Month activities at the University through the presentation of public cultural events and conferences with renowned guest speakers; creating a women鈥檚 and gender studies library; and providing funding for research by faculty and students related to gender and women.
Visit the USM Calendar to see this year鈥檚 .