Throughout Women’s History Month (and beyond!), feminist experts in politics, public service and more are coming together to share their lived experiences and help propel women’s rights forward.
This article will be updated daily throughout Women’s History Month as new virtual events become available. (Last update: Wednesday, March 24 at 4:30 p.m. PT.)
Each March, we reflect on the centuries of sacrifice and courage that have fueled feminist progress. But perhaps the best way to honor feminists of the past is to work towards greater equality in the future.
Though we are physically isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual events are keeping us connected all month long. Through panel conversations, film screenings, online art exhibits and more, it’s easier than ever to interact with like-minded speakers from all corners of the world—including activists, poet laureates, ambassadors and artists.
We’ll be celebrating feminist milestones: The U.S. is about to have its most diverse Cabinet in American history, and recently elected its first woman vice president. But at the same time, we must continue to pursue legislative reform and accountability at all levels. Experts in politics, public service and more are coming together to share their lived experiences and help propel women’s rights forward—so Ms. is here to keep you in the loop.
We’ll be updating this calendar throughout Women’s History Month (and a little beyond!) with empowering panels, workshops and screenings everyone is welcome to attend!
Asynchronous Events
Available to view all month long!
National Women’s History Museum Online Exhibits
The National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) compiled dozens of virtual exhibits, highlighting trailblazers throughout history. Explore photographs, quotes, and in-depth accounts of some of the most pivotal feminist milestones, from women challenging slavery in the 19th century to working at NASA and competing in the Olympics.
Check out NWHM’s online exhibits here.
Shall Not Be Denied: Women Fight for the Vote–Online Exhibit
Visit our current exhibition which examines the campaign for women’s voting rights that lasted more than seven decades. Considered the largest reform movement in United States history, its participants believed that securing the vote was essential to achieving women’s economic, social, and political equality. Culminating 100 years ago in the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the fight for women’s suffrage was not for the fainthearted. Determined women organized, lobbied, paraded, petitioned, lectured, and picketed for years. Suffragists were ridiculed, patronized, and dismissed by opponents, yet they persisted. Some were assaulted and endured the harsh confines of prison for daring to claim rights equal to men, but they would not be denied.
Visit the exhibition online here.
A Life Too Short Screening + Post-Film Conversation with Gloria Steinem and Director Safayah Usmani
In recognition of Women’s History Month, the Ms. Foundation for Women invites you to an online screening of A Life Too Short, about the honor killing of Qandeel Baloch, one of Pakistan’s first social-media celebrities. The short film is followed by a 30-minute conversation between Feminist activist and Ms. Foundation founding mother Gloria Steinem and the director, Safayah Usmani.
For free access to the film, RSVP here. After RSVPing, you will receive a link to view A Life Too Short for eight days, March 13-21.
March 21–March 27, 2021
Girls, Politics and Power: A Conversation with Youth Activists | Monday, March 22, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. ET
Hosted by Girls Learn International and the Feminist Majority Foundation.
A youth-led event with activists from Girls Learn International and other girl-serving and youth-led organizations. Panelists will discuss their advocacy efforts on issues that most impact their lives and identify tools for empowering political activism, securing political agency for girls, and creating both meaningful and sustainable change. Together, participants will showcase lessons learned from girls’ political leadership and discuss how intergenerational feminist action can achieve Generation Equality.
REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS
- Register here.
- Yow will receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite—this is for your records only.
- A separate email from NGO CSW will invite you to login to the virtual platform. (This may take a little while to arrive.) Click on the link in the email to “Sign-in website and mobile app” and follow the instructions to set up your profile on the virtual NGO CSW platform.
- Click “Schedule” in the top menu, then “Agenda.” (On mobile, tap “Agenda” on the homepage or bottom menu bar.) In the search bar in the top right corner, search for the event by name: Girls, Politics and Power: A Conversation with Youth Activists (You may also search via the calendar: Select “Monday, March 22, 2021” and scroll down to at 3:00 pm ED.)
- When you see the event, click the green + in the top right corner to register.
- After you register, click on “Schedule” > “My Agenda” to view your registered events. (On mobile, tap “My Agenda” on the homepage or bottom menu bar.) Make sure you see Girls, Politics and Power: A Conversation with Youth Activists listed.
- At the time of the event, visit the NGO CSW platform, then select “Schedule” > “My Agenda” and click on the event. Just before 3:00 p.m. EDT you will see a link to join the virtual event.
Upholding Afghan Women’s Rights: What the U.S. and Allies Must Do Now | Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at 7:30 a.m. PT / 10:30 a.m. ET
Hosted by the Feminist Majority Foundation and Canadian Women for Afghan Women.
Years of U.S. and international presence has laid the groundwork for Afghan women to reclaim agency and empowerment through education and political participation. Yet these advances, vital to wider sustainable development goals, are threatened by the current peace talks that could also result in reduction of support from international allies. Hear from policymakers and activists how women’s rights can be protected in negotiations with the Taliban to ensure a sustainable and inclusive peace.
Register here.
Next Steps in Creating the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum | March 23 at 9–10:30 a.m. PT / 12–1:30 p.m. ET
The Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues is delighted to celebrate Women’s History Month by sharing information on the recent passage of the Smithsonian Women’s History Museum Act to create a museum for which the federal government will pay half the development and operating costs of this museum under auspices of the Smithsonian Institution. A Congressional Commission created in 2014 to study the establishment of the museum issued a detailed report in 2016 recommending not only that the U.S. needs and deserves a physical women’s history museum but that it be part of the Smithsonian and located on or near the National Mall in Washington, DC. The bipartisan Commission was created by a bill sponsored by Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney.
Representative Maloney will outline key accomplishments and next steps for funding and building the museum. Wendy Pangburn, who served as the Executive Director of the American Museum of Women’s History Congressional Commission will add brief insights from the Commission to help guide the museum’s creation. Both Holly Hotchner, President and CEO of the National Women’s History Museum, and Museum Board Chair, Susan Whiting, will join us to highlight NWHM’s historic role in getting legislation passed for a museum. They will also discuss NWHM’s current programming and how the Museum will continue to shine a light on women’s contributions to American history while the plans for the Smithsonian develop.
Register here by Monday, Mar. 22.
Equal Pay and Sexual Harassment in the Restaurant Industry | March 23 at 11 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET
Join One Fair Wage and our partners for a digital conversation the day before Equal Pay Day, March 23, 2021, to discuss the intersecting issues of Equal Pay and Sexual Harassment in the Restaurant Industry. Panelists will include restaurant workers and employers in conversation with legislators, academics and national leaders in the equal pay movement and in the fight to end gender-based violence against women at work.
Professor Catharine A. MacKinnon will be speaking about a new report she and One Fair Wage co-authored entitled ‘The Tipping Point: How the Subminimum Wage Keeps Incomes Low and Harassment High.’ Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Bernie Sanders will be speaking about the Raise the Wage Act, which ends the subminimum wage for tipped workers. Valerie Jarrett of United State of Women, Esta Soler of Futures Without Violence, Melanie Campbell of Black Women’s Roundtable, Shannon Williams of Equal Pay Today Roundtable and other incredible leaders will join us in our discussion of sexual harassment in the restaurant industry and its connection to gender-based pay inequity.
Featured Speakers Include:
- Saru Jayaraman, One Fair Wage President and Professor, UC Berkeley
- Professor Catharine MacKinnon
- Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Bernie Sanders
- Esta Soler, Futures Without Violence
- Latifa Lyles, Time’s Up
- Shaunna Thomas, Ultraviolet
- Valerie Jarrett, United State of Women
- Melanie L. Campbell, Black Women’s Roundtable
- Shannon Williams, Equal Pay Today Roundtable
- One Fair Wage tipped worker members
- Andrea Borgen, restaurant owner and leader of RAISE: High Road Restaurants
RSVP here.
Pathways to Feminist Foreign Policy — Evidence and Implications for Advocacy | March 23 at 1–2:30 p.m. PT / 4–5:30 p.m. ET
Speakers include International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) senior director of policy and advocacy Lyric Thompson and more! Register here.
Town Hall: Women. Work. Caregiving. & the ERA | March 23 at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET
Join the ERA Coalition on March 23 at 6 p.m. ET for their next town hall, presented with funding from the Harnisch Foundation. The discussion will focus on the intersection of working women and caregiving, especially during COVID-19, and all that entails.
Register here.
A Woman’s Work Screening | March 23 at 5–7 p.m. PST / 8–10 p.m. EST
On March 23rd from 5-7PM PST, Equal Rights Advocates is partnering with California Women Lawyers to offer a screening of A Woman’s Work. Football and feminism collide in this documentary following women fighting for fair pay and workplace justice in professional cheerleading. Read more on A Woman’s Work here.
Register here to attend.
The U.S. and the Global Women’s Movement: What Will the New Administration Bring? | Wednesday, March 24 at 7:30–9:00 a.m. PT / 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m. ET
The Biden-Harris administration is eager to re-engage in multilateral cooperation on issues that have been under attack, including gender equality. The CSW is the first major moment on the global stage for the administration to do so, offering the chance to reaffirm support for human rights and gender equality worldwide.
This event will examine how the U.S. can promote women’s leadership and decision-making, the CSW priority theme, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will explore intersecting topics and opportunities related to gender—including climate change, racial justice, sexual and reproductive health and rights and the elimination of gender-based violence.
Register now:
STEP 1: Sign up here to create a NGO CSW65 Forum profile.
STEP 2: After receiving the confirmation email, register for our event here by signing in with your credentials. (Click on the “+” sign to add the event to your calendar.)
A Celebration of Advocacy for Women in Music | March 24 at 12–2 p.m. PT / 3–5 p.m. ET
The virtual event—presented by the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers—marks the 40th anniversary of the First International Congress on Women in Music, held March 1981, at New York University. The presentation will include inspiring interviews with many pioneers in the fight against the discrimination of women working in the field of music, some of whom are still active in the fight, today. Also featured will be rare audio from the Congress including historic speeches and premiere performances.
Co-hosting are Jeannie Gayle Pool, longtime ASMAC board member and L.A.-based composer, musicologist, and music producer, currently on the music faculty at Chapman University in Orange, and Alison Freebairn-Smith, songwriter, vocalist and author, with special guests pianist Virginia Eskin, soprano Janis-Rozena Peri, soprano Lucille Field Goodman, musicologist Beverly Simmons, pianist Nancy Fierro, composer Deon Nielsen Price, composer Anna Rubin, composer Beth Anderson-Harold, music producer Janie Pipik, and composer Christine Rusnak (President of the International Alliance for Women in Music), among others.
Tickets for the 40th-anniversary Zoom presentation are free and are available through Eventbrite.
I DISSENT: Discussion on Election & Voting Rights | Wednesday, March 24 at 1:00 p.m. PT / 4:00 p.m. ET
The late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s words, “I Dissent” have become part of mainstream pop-culture, imprinted on totebags and t-shirts. However, the imprint she left on the fabric of our society matters far more. Her dissenting opinions were often of greater importance than if her voice had been part of the majority. “The dissenter’s hope: that they are writing not for today but for tomorrow,” she said.
In this monthly series, you’ll learn about the Supreme Court cases that led to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s most influential dissents, through discussions with legal experts and social justice advocates.
Discussion on election and voting tights and the case of Bush v. Gore and Shelby County v. Holder with Hon. Patricia A. Blackmon, 8th District Court of Appeals and Elizabeth Bonham, ACLU.
Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency | March 24 at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET
Political reporters and best-selling authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes will discuss women voters and their new book, Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency, “the inside story of the historic 2020 presidential election and Joe Biden’s harrowing ride to victory.” Order the book here. Details and registration here.
Nevertheless, She Persisted: Countering Backlash to Women’s Progress | March 25 at 7–8:15 a.m. PT / 10–11:15 a.m. ET
Progress on gender equality is under threat today. Efforts to accelerate the gains made for women’s rights are increasingly coming under attack from authoritarian governments, fundamentalist groups and others who are threatened by women’s progress. Women are fighting back by rallying collective action, harnessing social media, and fostering solidarity through dialogue and spreading awareness of the evidence that demonstrates the benefits of gender equality for all of society.
Join us for a discussion on how we can effectively counter resistance to the gender equality agenda. Government and civil society leaders will share lessons learned and best practices from how they have mobilized collective power that can be scaled to better serve women worldwide.
Featuring:
- The Hon. Susana Malcorra, Former Foreign Minister, Argentina
- Dr. Dubravka Šimonovic, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women
- Ms. Liang Xiaowen, Chinese Feminist Activist, #MeToo Movement
- Ms. Asha Allen, Policy and Campaigns Officer, European Women’s Lobby, and Project Coordinator, #HerNetHerRights Project with Google
With:
- Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
- Dr. Jeni Klugman, Lead Author of “Beijing+25: Accelerating Progress for Women and Girls” and Managing Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
- Ms. Michelle Bhatia, Georgetown Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security
RSVP here for the virtual event.
Women in Science Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon | March 25 at 10 a.m.–12 p.m. PT / 1 p.m.–3 p.m. ET
With support from the Newmark Foundation, the American Women’s History Initiative (AWHI) is working across the Smithsonian’s 19 museums to help increase the representation of women on Wikipedia, which currently stands at about 18% of biographies.
Please join us on March 25th (1:00-3:00pm Eastern) for a virtual Women in Science Wikipedia edit-a-thon with Smithsonian Institution Archives and the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Wikimedia DC will also be supporting this event to help us train new editors. No Wikipedia editing experience is required.
Register via Eventbrite.
Virtual Screening of “And She Could Be Next” | March 25 at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
The team at RepresentWomen would like to invite you to a virtual screening of “And She Could Be Next” a documentary series following the women of color organizers and candidates during the 2018 Congressional election cycle. This Women’s History Month, join us to celebrate some of the amazing women who are fighting for gender and racial diversity in our elected bodies.
Be sure to bring your favorite feminist cocktail (or mocktail)! I hope you can join the Women’s History Month festivities. Join the zoom here.
War, Combat and the American Soldier | March 25 at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET
“War, Combat and the American Soldier” features two of the most prominent historians of war, Margaret MacMillan (“War: How Conflict Shaped Us”) and Rick Atkinson (“The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777”). Read full details here.
All programs will be virtual and premiere on the Library’s Facebook page and its YouTube site (with captions).
Judicial Milestones in the Quest for Women’s Equality | March 26 at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET
Seven female judges and former judges who broke barriers in the legal profession will discuss the obstacles they overcame in a program Friday, March 26, hosted by the American Bar Association Judicial Division.
The six judges will be featured in a free program titled “Judicial Milestones in the Quest for Women’s Equality.” They will discuss challenges that women encounter on the bench, their personal achievements and endeavors, and advances for women in the judiciary. The discussion is part of a series of ABA programs in celebration of Women’s History Month.
The program is co-sponsored by the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, the ABA Standing Committee on Public Education and the ABA Division for Public Education.
Judges featured in the program will be:
- Paulette Brown, former president of the ABA and the National Bar Association. Brown was the first Black woman and the first woman of color to lead the ABA. She is a former Municipal Court judge in Plainfield, NJ.
- Chief Judge Bernadette D’Souza of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court in New Orleans. D’Souza is president of the National Association of Women Judges and was the first Family Court judge of the Civil Court.
- Justice Eva M. Guzman of the Texas Supreme Court. Guzman was the first Hispanic woman to serve on the court.
- Chief Judge Barbara M. Lynn of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Lynn is former chair of the ABA Judicial Division and was the first female chief judge in Texas.
- Judge Jacqueline Nguyen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A native of Vietnam, Nguyen is the first Asian American woman to serve on a federal appeals court.
- Tara Osborn, a retired Army colonel and former chief trial judge of the U.S. Army. Osborn was the first officer of the Judge Advocate General’s Corps in Iraq.
- Patricia Ann Timmons-Goodson, former justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Timmons-Goodson was the first Black woman to serve on the court.
The program, which starts at 11 a.m. CT, will be moderated by Ernestine Gray, former judge of the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court in New Orleans.
Register online here.
March 28–March 31, 2021
Virtual Salon Series Event: Resilient Women | March 28 at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. PT
Look What SHE Did! is thrilled to announce that we are closing out Women’s History Month with an exciting virtual salon on March 28 at 1pm PST featuring live screenings of three of our most popular films followed by conversations about women’s resilience in challenging times.
Event host Brittany Ashley will screen three short films about courage & vulnerability researcher and bestselling author Brené Brown, formerly enslaved novelist Hannah Crafts and Civil War surgeon and hero Mary Edwards Walker, followed by conversations with the films’ storytellers Sonay Hoffman and Dee Johnson. We’ll close out the event with live audience conversation about the power of women’s resilience in challenging times.
Tickets are FREE with an RSVP/ Ticket link: https://bit.ly/LWSDevent.
Persisting in the Struggle for Equality | March 29 at 1–2 p.m. PT / 4–5 p.m. ET
Join the California Women’s Law Center for a free virtual event featuring a panel of trailblazing women’s rights advocates who will discuss their accomplishments and struggles in the fight for women’s rights moderated by Feminist Majority Foundation Executive Director Kathy Spillar on Monday, March 29th from 1-2 p.m. PT.
Click here to register for this event. We hope you will be able to join us for what is sure to be an important conversation on the continuing struggle for women’s equality!
A Zoom Of Our Own: Creating Money and Blowing Big Bubbles | March 29 at 5–6:30 p.m. PT / 8–9:30 p.m. ET
Where does our money come from? And what are our real American values?
If Wall Street and Silicon Valley have more billionaires than ever, how come Main Street’s people are living from paycheck to paycheck—and that’s if they’re lucky?! What is the nature of the currency we call the dollar? And how can we invest our privately earned dollars and our shared public dollars more wisely for the long term? What does the Robinhood GameStop story in the news tell us about the money systems we all count on, but that treats us very differently if we’re Black, brown, or female?
Join us on Monday evening, March 29, 8:00 pm EST to learn how women are working now to more clearly explain our current money world, including the Federal Reserve, and working to change our money’s intent—not to enrich just a few winners at the cost of mostly losers, but to grant all of us a livable future. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated! Register here.
Virtual Fireside Chat with Dr. Leila Fourie, Chief Executive Officer, Johannesburg Stock Exchange | March 31, 2022, 9:30 PM – 11:00 A.M. EDT
Join us for a virtual fireside chat with Dr. Leila Fourie, Chief Executive Officer, Johannesburg Stock Exchange, on exploring the role of women’s leadership in promoting economic empowerment in entrepreneurship. The fireside chat will be followed by a Q&A session with the private and public sector audience participants.
In her role as CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Dr. Leila Fourie has a unique perspective having held several high profile roles in banking, finance and payments. During this discussion, Dr. Fourie will look at the role of JSE in supporting female economic empowerment and its commitment towards SDG 5.
The conversation will also explore how female entrepreneurs can build their business to become a listed company, and why women’s leadership should be a focal point for economic growth and recovery across Africa and globally.
April
An Unprecedented Crisis of Care | April 1 at 9–10:30 a.m. PT / 12–1:30 p.m. ET
Please join A Better Balance and the Better Life Lab at New America on April 1 from 12:00 -1:30 PM ET for An Unprecedented Crisis of Care, a virtual event featuring workers, caregivers, thought leaders, business experts, and work-family justice advocates who will come together to share experiences from the front line and to strategize on a blueprint for progress and policy innovation for the care infrastructure this country needs.
RSVP here.
Women Health Leaders Examine Gender and Race in the Pandemic Response | April 1 at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET
Four women who served on the Biden-Harris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board are speaking about gender and race in the pandemic response at an upcoming event hosted by WomenLift Health.
The speakers include Loyce Pace, Director of Global Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Jill Jim, Executive Director, Navajo Department of Health; Dr. Celine Gounder, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, NYU Grossman School of Medicine; and Dr. Julie Morita, Executive Vice President, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. WomenLift Health Executive Director Amie Batson will moderate the event, which is part of the organization’s Gender & Power Speaker Series.
The speakers will discuss why bringing a gendered and intersectional lens to the fight against COVID-19 is critical for progress, what this could look like in the U.S., and how their own identities and experiences have helped to shape their work on the board and beyond.
The virtual panel event is free and open to the public with registration.
A Generational Wipeout of Mothers’ Careers? Women, COVID, and Economic Security | Tuesday, April 13 at 9:00–10:00 a.m. PT / 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET.
The pandemic has brought economic hardship to countless families and threatens a generational wipeout of mothers’ careers. At the start of 2020, women achieved a historic milestone—they held more jobs than men (50.3 percent). Since the pandemic began, women have lost 5.4 million jobs, 1 million more than men. In December 2020, employers cut 140,000 jobs—all of them were held by women and most of them by Black and Latina women. Recent evidence suggests that women may be returning to work, but perhaps to gig or part-time work; much remains unknown.
Join this conversation with Joan C. Williams addressing:
- The long-term impact of COVID on women’s workforce progress, the demographics of who has been most impacted and what recovery will look like;
- On-the-ground insight into what mothers are going through from WorkLife Law’s legal helpline that helps people access COVID-related leaves and accommodations;
- The path forward for changing cultural norms and building a care infrastructure that would enable people to both care for and support their families.
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