by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College is convening several events in honor of Women’s History Month.
As 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in the United States, this year’s theme is “Valiant Women of the Vote.” The programs will honor the women who worked for 70 years to win women’s suffrage. All events are free and open to community members.
The first event, “Voices of the Suffrage Movement: Read-In and Writer’s Workshop,” is from 10 a.m. to noon, March 4 in the KCKCC Intercultural Center. Associate Professor of English Polly Hawk, and her Women in Literature class, will share readings on the topic of women’s suffrage. That session will be immediately followed by a writer’s workshop to learn political letter writing led by Carrie Dimino, coordinator of the Writing Lab.
The second Women’s History Month event, “Politics on the Platform: Woman Suffrage in Kansas,” is from 10 to 11 a.m., March 11 in the KCKCC Art Gallery. Led by Dr. Sarah Bell, development officer at the Watkins Museum, the program will focus on Kansas as a progressive leader and the eighth state to grant women the right to vote. Bell received a master’s degree in museum studies from the University of Kansas and a doctorate in history, also from KU. Her research interests include women’s political activism at the turn of the 20th century, particularly suffrage and temperance.
The final event in March is “The ERA: Why Is It So Important?” It is from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. March 26 in Room 2325. The program will be led by Erica Benson, from Project 28 MO, and will focus on how the United States Constitution does not have gender-specific protections and how the Equal Rights Amendment can help.
Women’s History Month programs are co-hosted by Women and Gender Advocacy, the Counseling and Advocacy Center, Women’s Studies, AAUW, the Intercultural Center and the KCKCC Learning Commons.
For more information, contact Jennifer Gieschen, coordinator of Women and Gender Advocacy, at 913-288-7193.