As we celebrate Women’s History Month (WHM), let’s take a stroll down memory lane to reflect on Florida State University’s history—or should I say, the Florida State College for Women.
The Florida State College for Women is what we know as the predecessor institution of FSU today. Not only that, but FSCW was also one of the largest all-female centers of higher learning in the country. From the year of its establishment in 1905 to the year its name changed to FSU in 1947, thousands of young women attended and graduated from FSCW.
Although FSU is no longer an all-female university, there are still significant efforts made by many organizations on campus to place a main focus on celebrating women, especially during Women’s History Month. WHM is celebrated every March to commemorate and raise awareness of the significant contributions of women to our culture and society throughout history. To take part in this celebration, organizations including Women Wednesdays at FSU and the Women Student Union are either taking a closer look at this year’s WHM theme or holding relevant events throughout the month.
Women Wednesdays (WW), a social and mentoring organization that helps women with life during and after college through the promotion of campus resources, shared information about the theme for WHM on their Instagram. They mentioned how the 2021 theme “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced” captures the spirit of these challenging times. WW advocates for the need to remember those who fought for the rights we enjoy today by voting; they even went on to highlight what the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA) had to say:
“We are determined that the important roles of multicultural suffragists and voting rights activists continue to be recognized and honored. We refuse to allow their voices to be silenced, even by a pandemic.”
The National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA)
NWHA is a national institution that promotes Women’s History with goals that revolve around education, empowerment, equality, and inclusion.
WW also used their Instagram platform to share 20 things people can do during this year’s Women’s History Month, which all fall under the categories of educating yourself, empowering and inspiring others, growing, and showing gratitude.
On top of the recognition WW is bringing to WHM, FSU’s Women Student Union is doing the same as well. WSU is an organization that serves to foster the growth of women on personal, professional, and political levels. Even though they are a little more than halfway through with the events they held during this month’s first couple of weeks, there are still many events that students can look forward to participating in with WSU throughout the rest of Women’s History Month.
One of the most recent events that students had the opportunity to attend was their Book Talk event on Friday, March 19th where they discussed The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, a young adult novel about intersectionality and the journey of life.
Here is a list of the remaining WSU events being held during the month of March:
- March 22nd: Vagina Monologues
- March 24th: Networking Mixer
- March 25th: Cosponsored Drive-In Movie Night
- March 29th: DIY Paint a Pot Party
- March 31st: HerVoice Magazine Release Party
More information about these events can be found on WSU’s Instagram page!
Leave a Reply