Ohlone College Celebrates Women's History Month

Press release from Ohlone College:

March 4, 2021

It's Women's History Month and Ohlone College is celebrating the impact that women have made on our world. While it may seem obvious why we should celebrate the great women in our history, we wanted to turn to one of our own to break it down. Heather McCarty, Ph.D. Professor of History and Gender and Women’s Studies is the Chair and Co-Director of the Lytton Center for History and the Public Good at Ohlone College and writes about why it's important to look at our past to shape our future.

History is not just the study of the past; history helps shape the present and the future. It teaches us about where we came from and who we are. Dr. Myra Pollack Sadker—an early pioneer in studying gender bias in America’s school systems—wisely pointed out that “Each time a girl opens a book and reads a womanless history, she learns she is worth less.”

Women’s History Month—like Black History Month, Latinx Heritage Month, LGBTQIA+ History Month, Native American Heritage Month, Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month, and others—is about representation and inclusion. We all need to see ourselves in history. It isn’t just about celebrating the successes of women, but also about understanding the obstacles that women of all backgrounds and identities have faced along the way. When we look at history this way, we are able to see the effects of patriarchy. We need to understand it to dismantle it.

When it comes to history, the story of women is largely one of silence, exclusion, and absence. Women have made a LOT of history, but it isn’t always represented in what historians call the master narrative. There are many unacknowledged women who’ve made history. We’ve made great progress, and we still have a ways to go.

History Month is also about viewing change through the lens of women’s perspectives. A balanced and inclusive history recognizes how important women have been in the making of American history (past, present, and future). There are generations of cis and trans girls and women that need to be inspired by their histories. Women’s history helps to challenge myths about what women can and can’t do. I hope that this month everyone will take a moment to discover the stories of their mothers and grandmothers, and draw strength from those that came before us.

Lastly, I encourage everyone to enroll in one of Ohlone College’s Gender and Women’s Studies courses. We offer courses across the disciplines, including Women’s History, Introduction to Gender and Women’s Studies, Introduction to LGBTQ+ Studies, Gender and Communication, Women in Literature, and Women’s Health Issues. Students can complete a Gender and Women’s Studies Certificate of Accomplishment and/or an Associate in Arts in Social Justice Studies for Transfer (ADT).

In honor of Women’s History month, several events will be taking place virtually at Ohlone College. Join these events and/or take Gender and Women’s Studies classes at Ohlone College. Expand your horizons, continue your education, and celebrate women’s achievements.

March 5, 2021 at. 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Women in Engineering, Computer Science & Technology Mentoring Summit

Speakers include Kay Firth-Butterfield, Head of AI & Machine Learning and Executive Committee Member, World Economic, Dr. Maisha Gray-Diggs, Senior Director Talent Acquisition at Twitter, and Dr. Jayshree Seth, Corporate Scientist and Chief Science Advocate at 3M. Register here

This press release was produced by Ohlone College. The views expressed here are the author's own.