CSUSB celebrates Womxn’s History Month

Cal State San Bernardino is honoring Womxn’s History Month throughout March with a series of events and keynote speakers. This year’s theme is “Celebrating and Telling Our Stories” to amplify the voices of diverse womxn and recognize their contributions across various sectors and disciplines. 

A variety of events, including the highly anticipated Womxn’s Leadership Conference on Wednesday, March 22, are planned. The kick-off event is scheduled for Thursday, March 2, in the Santos Manuel Student Union East, Obershaw Dining Center at 11 a.m.

At CSUSB we intentionally spell womxn with an X as an objection to the patriarchal idea that womxn are an extension to men and the inclusion of all womxn go beyond just cis-women.

CSUSB’s Womxn’s History Month events include:

• March 2, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., SMSU East Obershaw Dining Center, Womxn’s History Month Kick-off
  Join the WHM committee and the campus community as we kick off Womxn's History Month celebrations. We will welcome Dr. Bharti Sharma and Dr. Deborah D. Grijalva for a facilitated discussion, Wynter Eddins for a spoken word session, and a poetry presentation from Sheila Sadr.
• March 4, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., SMSU North Event Center, Rialto’s The State of Women 2023
  Join Mayor Deborah Robertson in a day of recognizing and celebrating dynamic women representing our community and the Inland Empire with keynote speaker Darsha Philips, NBC 4 news correspondent. Join the city of Rialto as it honors women in every community who have devoted their lives and talents to producing art and news, pursuing truth, and reflecting society decade after decade. Register at The State of Women 2023 Eventbrite page.
• March 7, 11 a.m.-noon, Zoom, Seed Cycle Your Way Through
  Menstruating bodies typically experience a cycle every month, and it comes in different ways for each body, but some common symptoms include cramps, acne, mood swings, back pain, etc. These symptoms, at times, can be debilitating and refrain us from engaging in our daily life activities such as going to class, going to work or working out. Join The Retreat for a workshop to learn about women’s hormones, address common symptoms regarding menstruation, and provide health and evidence-based solutions to support overall health and well-being. Register at Seed Cycle Your Way Through.
• March 8, 4-6 p.m., SMSU North Conference enter C, PodeRosa: Watering the Seeds of Feminine Resilience
  Soy Poderosa! And like a flower, I bloom! To be soft and fierce is a beautiful balance, and as women, we often feel the pressure to rise above our hardships with a smile on our faces. Join us in a sacred space of cariño and sisterhood as we gather in reflection, story sharing and radical self-love. This interactive workshop will encourage participants to celebrate the wins and the growing pains of life as a testimony of strength and power while appreciating the softness we inherently possess. We will conclude our practice of self-love by handcrafting our unique flower crowns as we celebrate and honor the PODEROSA within us all.
• March 14, 5-7 p.m., SMSU North, Conference Center E, Higher Perspective
  Join the Queer & Transgender Center as they explore ways to support marginalized identities within higher education. Join Psychotherapist Katrina Sevilla for a discussion about her experience as a Queer Asian woman in a white-male-dominated field, followed by a Q&A with the audience. Refreshments will be provided. Register at Higher Perspectives In-Person or Higher Perspectives Virtual.
• March 21, 3-5 p.m., John M. Pfau Library, PL-5005, screening of "My Name is Pauli Murray"
  Attend the screening of the film, “My Name is Pauli Murray,” and the discussion to follow afterward, moderated by Diana Johnson, assistant professor of history. The event is free and open to the public. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1910, Dr. Pauli Murray – the first African American to receive a JSD from Yale Law School – was a writer, priest, poet, civil rights activist, and legal scholar. As a young law student, Murray crafted legal arguments that would later be used to help dismantle de jure segregation, first in Mendez v. Westminster (1947) and then in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education (1954).  A co-founder of the National Organization for Women, Murray fought against both Jane Crow and Jim Crow, with the firm belief that true community is predicated on mutual respect for individual diversity. For more information, contact Robie Madrigal at rmadriga@csusb.edu.
• March 22, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., SMSU North Conference Center, Womxn’s Leadership Conference
  The CSUSB Womxn’s Leadership Conference is an annual professional development conference to help students, staff and faculty become stronger leaders in their personal, organizational and community spheres of influence; inspiring them to create a more accepting, equitable environment for themselves and other womxn; and empowering them to embrace their authentic selves. Register at the Womxn’s Leadership Conference registration page.

More events will be added throughout the month. Visit the CSUSB Womxn’s History Month event page for up-to-date information.  

Nationally, Womxn’s History Month is celebrated during the month of March. Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.

In 1980, a consortium of women’s groups and historians – led by the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women’s History Alliance) – successfully lobbied for national recognition. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8, 1980, as National Women’s History Week (National Women’s History Museum). In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month in perpetuity. A Presidential Proclamation is issued every year to honor womxn’s extraordinary achievements.

For more information, visit the CSUSB Womxn’s History Month website.