The month of March is Woman’s History Month and Cerritos College is celebrating with a month of various different events to highlight the accomplishments of women.
Kicking off the month is “Celebrating 100 years of Women’s Voting rights: the critical role of the American Women’s club movement. This event was held via Zoom on March 1 at 10:00 a.m.
Patty Robinson, PhD and Faculty Director Instruction Office for College of the Canyons, told a story about how from 1800-1920 there was a vigorous Women’s movement in the US and this movement was more about the formation of Clubwomen and not just the suffragettes.
“Clubwomen of that time focused on protecting children, family and community and these woman became ‘domestic feminists.’ Through their efforts, they established a lot of what we have today, like municipal housekeeping, social spaces such as parks and service,” Robinson said.
According to Robinson, there was a civic awakening by 1904 and the Clubwomen were addressing hundreds of problems that were not addressed by men.
They also confronted politicians and won results. Their main focus was community improvements and, through it all, the women remained bipartisan.
“Once men started co-opting what the women were doing and it was this that led them to organize and fight for women’s right to vote.
“There are still some Clubwomen organizations in existence today. Pasadena, Bakersfield and San Francisco all have active woman’s clubs similar to the clubs of this time. And the General Federation Club also still exists,” said Robinson.
The next event to commemorate woman’s history is Queer Nights Presents: Womyn’s History Month – Spill the Tea Sis on Tuesday, March 9 at 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. This event is in celebration of all queer and trans womyn with conversations, connections and fun games. Contact: Lance Kayser, [email protected] for the Zoom link and all other information.
On Thursday, March 11 at 2 p.m. – 4 p.m., The Chinese Club will present The Nightingale. The Nightingale is the award winning 2013 Chinese-French film about a grandfather and his granddaughter who journey to rural China.
The journey helps them to realize the importance of family and tradition. The movie also shows the changing role of women in modern China. For more information and for the Zoom link, contact Yiran Zhou, [email protected].
Women speaking at Work: Using English and creative writing skills in the workplace will be held on Thursday, March 23, at 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. A panel of professionals will talk about how they used their skills in creative writing and English to create thriving careers.
The panel for this event will include Annabel Adams, Executive Director of Marketing and Communications for UCI School of Humanities, Jaime Asaye Fitzgerald, poet and Director of the California Office and Readings workshops for poets and writers, Marilyn Ramirez, Proposal Specialist for three technology companies working to reduce the rate of recidivism and improve the lives of those affected by incarceration, and Romaine Washington, educator, activist, and author of the forthcoming poetry collection, ‘Purgatory Has an Address.’
You must register to attend this event. The passcode for Zoom is 647300. For other information contact the event coordinator contact: Ja’net Danielo, [email protected].
The last and final event to celebrate Women’s History month is a Tribute to Women Writers, on March 31 at 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. For this event, you can listen in or you can share a short piece of text written by a female author of your choice, from any period in time.
Or show-off your own writing skills by reading your own work. Contact: Janet Mitchell-Lambert, [email protected] for the Zoom link and further information. The passcode for the event is 518543.
All students are encouraged to participate in the Women’s History Month Essay Contest. Students can submit a 750 word essay about a woman who has been an outspoken advocate for justice and equality for all people. Submissions should be in by March 31 at 11:59 pm. The class id: 28461239 – enrollment key: speak will be needed in order to submit the essay.
Winners will receive the following: 1st place – $250, 2nd place – $150, 3rd place – $100 and honorable mention – $50. For more information, contact H. Kate St. John, [email protected].
