To honor the sacrifices and changes women have set forth in history, the Center for Women and Gender Equity (WaGE) at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga celebrates Women’s History Month throughout March.
Observed in the United States since 1987, Women’s History Month ensures time is set aside to recognize the struggles women have gone through and continue to endure while celebrating their work and contributions.
As associate director of WaGE and the Prism Center at UTC, Lauren Ouwerkerk works with students to determine how to best celebrate Women’s History Month. For 2025, they have decided to focus on tabling around campus to spread the word.
“My hope is that people will—even if it’s just 10 minutes out of their day—think about (women’s history) and realize this is important to celebrate,” Ouwerkerk said. “It’s not to say we’re not celebrating other folks any other time, but to really highlight and have conversations around the impacts of women throughout history—and how history is not just happening in the 1800s and 1900s. It’s happening today, too.”
Ouwerkerk recognized that in college, it is easy to lose track of time and not think about what is going on in the world. She hopes to remind students that Women’s History Month is happening and that it’s important.
“(This month) encourages folks to really reflect on not just those big people, but those small people who have made those little impacts on their life and let them know about that,” Ouwerkerk said. “It can be so powerful for folks to hear, ‘I am making a difference, even in those little things.’”
As WaGE gets ready for a month of celebrating women, Ouwerkerk looks forward to inspiring deeper consideration and conversation among the campus community on the impact women have on the lives of others.
“I think one of my favorite parts is the joy of people being able to see themselves reflected in some of those conversations in a way that maybe they hadn’t before,” Ouwerkerk said. “The reality is, we want to celebrate anyone who is celebrating the impacts or the amazing things that women have accomplished.”
Women’s History Month calendar of events include:
- Wednesday, March 5: International Women’s Day Trivia, first floor of Lupton Hall, 3:30 p.m.
- Monday, March 17: Stitch and Bitch, Lupton Hall 118, noon
- Monday, March 24: Gender and Neurodiversity Chat, Disability Resource Center (University Center 352), noon
- Friday, March 28, through Sunday, March 30: Women’s Leadership Academy, Ocoee Retreat Center
- Monday, March 31: Stitch and Bitch, Lupton Hall 118, noon
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Center for Women and Gender Equity
