Celebrating Women's History Month

Who comes to mind when you think of a scientist? A filmmaker? An activist? How many of those were women? Despite the significant strides that women have made, their achievements can easily go unrecognized and overlooked as society still struggles to reconcile greatness with womanhood.

This March, Rutgers University-Newark highlights Women’s History Month by celebrating and recognizing women who have defied the odds, shattered glass ceilings, and made history through their lives and accomplishments. 

Women for Social Change

Kicking off this Women’s History Month is The Annual Women’s and Gender Studies Symposium. On March 5, students, staff, and faculty will gather at the Paul Robeson Campus Center for three panels discussing the realities of injustice and activism. The panels will address social unrest in Ferguson, gender and activism, and queer readings of riots and archives.

The event is free and open to the public.

Telling Women’s Stories on the Silver Screen

Women in Media-Newark will have its sixth annual International Film Festival March 24-April 1, dedicated to providing a visual outlet to women’s stories. With its theme, “And Still I Rise”, the festival tells the story of indefatigable women who overcame difficult odds to make a difference in their communities, in their industries, and in their own lives.

The event is free and open to the public. 

Women of Science

Neuroscientist April Benasich was recently appointed the first holder of the Elizabeth H. Solomon Endowed Chair in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. The chair, established by the Rutgers Board of Governors, is the first endowed chair in the Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University–Newark. The position will focus on research related to understanding brain development.

Benasich is one of RU-N’s Women of Science who are making significant discoveries and contributing to our understanding of the world around us.

Groundbreakers and Wave Makers

These women are the trailblazers who stepped into male-dominated arenas where they didn’t always find acceptance, but found success.   

• The Rutgers School of Law-Newark became more diverse in 1962, when Eva Hanna Morreale became the first female professor.  In 1977, Peggy Cooper Davis joined the ranks as the first African-American woman professor.
• In 1970, the first Women’s Studies Program at Rutgers was established at Rutgers University–Newark. It is one of the oldest women’s studies programs in the United States.
• In 1970, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg founded the Women’s Rights Law Reporter, the first periodical to focus on women’s rights law. The publication moved to Rutgers in 1972 and became affiliated with the Rutgers School of Law-Newark in 1974.
• In 1971, Newark College of Arts and Sciences professors Dorothy Dinnerstein and Helen Strausser led the RU-N female faculty in filing a federal complaint against Rutgers, charging the university with discriminatory practices against women including lower pay, fewer hires, and fewer opportunities for advancement than their male counterparts. Three years later, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare ruled in the women’s favor and ordered Rutgers to provide equal payment, with retroactive payments to address the disparities.
• In 2006, Professor II of Plant Biology and Pathology Joan W. Bennett established The Office for the Promotion of Women in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (SciWomen). Located at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, the office provides resources and support to all university faculty, post-doctoral, graduate, and undergraduate women working and studying in the science, social science, engineering, and mathematics disciplines to ensure their success and advancement in their fields.

Women in Music

Followers of women's history will also be interested in a special event coming up in April.  The acclaimed all-female ensemble SIREN Baroque will be performing a free concert of music by women composers of the Baroque era, Thursday, April 16, at 5 p.m. in the Paul Robeson Campus Center www.newark.rutgers.edu/events/evening-music-and-art-siren-baroque