Women's History Month

Celebrate Women's History Month

The UMass Dartmouth Center for Women, Gender & Sexuality is excited to announce the 29th annual campus celebration of Women's History Month. Throughout March, students, faculty, and staff from across campus will host events to highlight women's experiences and contributions.

The History of Women's History Month

According to the Library of Congress, Women's History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982, as “Women's History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women's History Week”.

In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women's History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women's History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women's History Month.

Since 1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women's History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course if American history in a variety of fields.

At UMassD numerous community organizations and campus departments co-sponsor many of these events. See individual events for co-sponsors. This year's events include: 

March 5

Women's Scholar Lunch Series with Prof. Suzanne Schireson 
“Pink Room Turquoise Moon: Intersections of Caretaking, Motherhood, and Creative Practice”
Time: 12pm-1pm
Location: Center for Women, Gender & Sexuality

March 8

International Women's Day
Learn more about International Women's Day 2025

March 17

Bitchcraft Event - Introduction to Knitting
Time: 3pm-5pm
Location: Center for Women, Gender & Sexuality.
(Limited to 10 people.)

March 19

Cocktails, Mocktails, & Connections: Women’s Herstory Month Community Building Party
Time: 5:30pm-7:30pm
Location: UMass Dartmouth’s Marketplace 
Register for Cocktails, Mocktails, & Connections

March 24

Bitchcraft Event – Introduction to Crocheting 
Time: 3pm-5pm
Location: Center for Women, Gender & Sexuality.
(Limited to 10 people.)

Advocacy Day
Advocacy Day is an event held every other year by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW). Together we rally at the Massachusetts Statehouse and visit our legislators to promote legislation that advances the rights and opportunities of women and girls across the Commonwealth. Learn more about Advocacy Day 2025 - Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.
Time: 10am-3pm
Location: Massachusetts State House
Buses leave from UMass Dartmouth and the YWCA of Southeastern MA. For more info email cwgs@umassd.edu

March 25

Invisible Legacies Throughout History: How Women Shaped Music in Portugal and Brazil 
Time: 5:30pm
Location: CVPA 153

Level Up!  
A support group for women going through peri-menopause and menopause (open to staff and faculty)
Time: 4pm
Location: Center for Women, Gender & Sexuality

March 26

Women's Scholar Lunch Series with Prof. Mary Wilson
“Virginia Woolf’s Modernism of Failure” 
Time: 12pm-1pm
Location: Center for Women, Gender & Sexuality

March 27

Women's Trivia Night
Test your knowledge of women’s history and have some fun with friends and colleagues. 
Time: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Location: The Crow's Nest