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Feminism: The Second Wave

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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 November

In 1942, at the age of 17, Maria Tallchief moved to New York City to pursue her dreams of becoming a dancer. With luck, grit, and determination she joined the famed Ballet Russe Monte Carlo as an apprentice and moved quickly through the ranks, dancing first in the corps de ballet and later performing leading roles.  Tallchief is widely considered America’s first major prima ballerina. 

You can learn more about Maria Tallchief (Osage Nation), featured on a new quarter from the US Mint, and other Indigenous women in our featured biographies this 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

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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

Blue W logo

Statement from Frédérique Irwin, President and CEO of the National Women’s History Museum, on the American Women Quarters Program and the 2025 Honorees

"As in previous years, the fourth and final year of this powerful program features five remarkable, barrier-breaking women whose vast contributions to our country have made a more equitable, inclusive, and just society."
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NWHM Seeks Feedback from DC-Area College Students

If you're a college student age 18-26 in the DC area, NWHM would like your input! We’re partnering with a Georgetown University graduate student to understand college student event preferences.
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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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Support Women's History this Giving Tuesday!

Your support will help us continue our important work to integrate women’s contributions into the fabric of our national narrative through pioneering research, innovative and accessible programming, and free resources for educators and learners of all ages. Every donation will be matched thanks to the generous support of Dr. Nancy O'Reilly and Women Connect4Good!

Donate Now
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Walking Tour: Black Feminist DC (Part 3)

Join Us on a Walking Tour!

Explore the history of Black feminism in Washington, DC on Friday, December 1 with the National Women’s History Museum and National Coalition Partner A Tour Of Her Own.

REGISTER HERE
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Department Stores: A Feminine Oasis

NWHM Presents!

Join us on December 7 at from 3-4 p.m. ET for a virtual tour of department stores and their historical significance. This guided experience, led by A Tour of Her Own, will virtually explore DC streets strewn with the ghosts and skeletons of these iconic buildings and discuss the way a simple trip to the store was in fact so much more.

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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Upcoming Events

2023-12-01

Walking Tour: Black Feminist DC (Part 3)

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
2023-12-05

The Power of Story: Perspectives from the National Women's History Museum

Join the Phi Beta Kappa Society in virtual conversation with National Women's History Museum President Frédérique Irwin.
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2023-12-07

NWHM Presents! Department Stores: A Feminine Oasis

Join the National Women’s History Museum for a virtual tour of department stores and their historical significance led by A Tour of Her Own.
READ MORE