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Feminism: The Second Wave

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About Us

Founded in 1996, the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) is an innovative online museum dedicated to uncovering, interpreting, and celebrating women’s diverse contributions to society. A renowned leader in women’s history education, the Museum brings to life the countless untold stories of women throughout history, and serves as a space for all to inspire, experience, collaborate, and amplify women’s impact—past, present, and future. We strive to fundamentally change the way women and girls see their potential and power.

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Each time a girl opens a book and reads a womanless history, she learns she is worth less.

Myra Pollack Sadker
Professor, Author, Researcher, and Activist

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Walking Tours: Black Feminist DC

Explore the history of Black feminism in Washington, DC with the National Women’s History Museum and National Coalition Partner A Tour Of Her Own.

Each walking tour in the three-part series will include a private tour of the NWHM’s exhibition We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library as well as a custom tour of downtown DC sites. Each tour will feature different routes, and participants are welcome to sign up for multiple tours in the series.

 

Check upcoming sessions and register here. 

Sign up for a guided tour

Featured Biographies for October

When diagnosed with breast cancer in 1977, Audre Lorde found that the ordeals of cancer treatment and mastectomy were shrouded in silence for women and found the experience even further isolating as a Black lesbian woman. Lorde felt that the narratives of coping and healing she did encounter were designed solely for white, heterosexual women. To combat this silence and to foster connection with other lesbians and women of color facing the same struggles, Lorde offered a raw portrait of her own pain, suffering, reflection, and hope in The Cancer Journals (1980).  

You can learn more about Audre Lorde and others in our featured biographies during LGBTQ+ History Month. 

 

Use the NWHM’s compendium of online biographies to spark curiosity and dig deeper into women’s impact throughout our shared national history. Explore more here. 

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If we want our girls to benefit from the courage and wisdom of the women before them, we have to share the stories.

Shireen Dodson

Explore Virtual Exhibits

More Exhibits

Students and Educators

Discover our educational resources. Find lesson plans, biographies, posters, timelines, videos, and more on a wide variety of women's history topics. 

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Museum News

Profile close-up of Jovita Idar in black and white. Idar is wearing a turtleneck shirt and her hair is pinned up. Image sits in "W" frame.

The National Women’s History Museum, U.S. Mint, and the University of Texas at San Antonio to Co-Host Event Celebrating Jovita Idar Quarter Release

Idar’s legacy will be celebrated with a ceremonial quarter release event on Thursday, September 14 at the UTSA Downtown Campus.
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A timeline of women's history is burned into wood. Image sits inside a W frame.

NWHM, Women Connect4Good, and Artist Tiffany Shlain Announce Dendrofemonology: The Feminist History Tree Ring Sculpture Installation on the National Mall

DENDROFEMONOLOGY is a reclaimed deodar cedar wood sculpture that offers a timeline of humanity through an intersectional feminist lens, mapped against the concept of trees bearing witness to humanity and history as a new kind of monument.
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Illustration of Patsy Mink in front of the U.S. Capitol building.

United States Mint Announces Designs for 2024 American Women Quarters™ Program Coins

See the just-released designs for the 2024 series of coins. The National Women's History Museum is proud to serve as a consultant to the U.S. Mint on this important and inspiring program.
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Headshot of Frédérique Irwin on blue background in W frame.

Watch: Frédérique Irwin Joins 7NewsDC for a Conversation About the National Women's History Museum

Watch this inspiring interview with our president and CEO, Frédérique Irwin, who joined WJLA to discuss women's representation, inclusion, and accessibility; our new exhibit at the MLK Library; and what's next for the Museum.
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Walking Tour: Black Feminist DC (Part 2)

Join Us on a Walking Tour!

Explore the history of Black feminism in Washington, DC on Sunday, October 22 with the National Women’s History Museum and National Coalition Partner A Tour Of Her Own.

REGISTER HERE
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The Bonobo Sisterhood

A Revolutionary Call to Action for #MeToo and Beyond

Join us for an exploration of The Bonobo Sisterhood, a powerful call to action to create a collective self-defense against patriarchal violence. Hear from author, actress, and humanitarian Ashley Judd; Harvard Law’s legal expert on gender violence and author of The Bonobo Sisterhood Diane Rosenfeld; National Women’s Law Center president and CEO, Fatima Goss Graves; and Amanda Nguyen, founder and CEO of Rise and 2022 TIME Woman of the Year, in an engaging discourse on how “being bonobo” can inspire an unprecedented alliance for gender justice. 
Buy Tickets
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Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise

Special In-Person Screening and Talkback

Join us on October 26 at the MLK Library in Washington, DC for a screening of the documentary film, "Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise," followed by a talkback with the film's director, Rita Coburn, and other special guests.

REGISTER HERE
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Black Feminist Futures x Black Feminist Book Club

Parable of the Sower

Join NWHM, DC Public Library, and other community partners on October 18 at the MLK Library to discuss Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, part of Black Feminist Book Club inspired by We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC.

REGISTER HERE
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NWHM Presents! Lessons in Leadership

Join Us

Mark your calendars for October 12 at 1 p.m. Join us and moderator Wendy Doyle of United WE, children’s author Karen M. Greenwald, Mayor Mattie Parker of Fort Worth, former Mayor Melina Carnicelli of Auburn (NY), and former Mayor Diana Smith of Seneca Falls (NY) for a discussion about their election victories, obstacles in office, and how Mayor Susanna Salter, America’s (and the world’s) first woman elected mayor who served, story reflects their own.

REGISTER HERE
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We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC

Now Open!

NWHM's first physical exhibition, We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, traces Black feminism in Washington, DC from the turn of the 20th century through the civil rights and Black Power movements to today.

LEARN MORE
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Women’s History Book Club: The Personal Librarian

Calling All Book Lovers!

Join us  on October 29 from 3-4 p.m. ET for the next meeting of our virtual Women’s History Book Club. We'll discuss The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (Berkley, June 7, 2022).  Space is limited.

REGISTER NOW!
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Upcoming Events

2023-10-12

NWHM Presents! Lessons in Leadership

Women have made great strides in the world of politics. However, in 2023, there are still many US cities that have never elected a woman to serve as mayor. Join moderator Wendy Doyle of United We, children’s author Karen M. Greenwald, Mayor Mattie Parker
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2023-10-18

Black Feminist Futures x Black Feminist Book Club

Join fellow Book Club attendees for a special edition of Black Feminist Book Club exploring Black feminist futures through Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower.
READ MORE
2023-10-22

Walking Tour: Black Feminist DC (Part 2)

Explore the history of Black feminism in Washington, DC with the National Women’s History Museum and National Coalition Partner A Tour Of Her Own.
READ MORE
2023-10-24

The Bonobo Sisterhood: A Revolutionary Call to Action for #MeToo and Beyond

Join NWHM, Ashley Judd, Diane Rosenfeld, Fatima Goss Graves, and Amanda Nguyen for an exploration of "The Bonobo Sisterhood," a powerful call to action to create a collective self-defense against patriarchal violence.
READ MORE