Join the National Women’s History Museum on select Sundays each month as we bring you free virtual programming from the comfort of your home! From panel discussions, author talks, guest curated walk throughs of brand-new online exhibits and virtual workshops, we invite you to take a “women’s history break” with us to feel inspired and come away empowered by the stories of women on whose shoulders we now stand. All NWHM Presents! [email protected] programming is free to attend, but pre-registration is required.
"The Missing Waves of Feminism" Symposium Series
April 11, June 13, September 26 and December 12
7:00pm ET
In celebration of 25 years of service and dedication to amplifying women’s distinct contributions to our nation’s history, the National Women’s History Museum is proud to present this four-part virtual panel discussion series, “The Missing Waves of Feminism.” “The Missing Waves” examines the “lost eras” of the traditionally recognized canon of the Four Waves of Feminism, including examples of early activism, the roles of minority women, and the impact of social movements that continued to progress for women’s rights even as the nation’s attention was turned to wars, pandemics, and internal disputes.
Highlighting barrier-breaking women, scholars, and activists whose work centers around citizenship, equity, voter suppression, equal pay, and social justice, the panelists represent a diverse array of disciplines and cultural studies. Using a virtual platform, this eye-opening series strives to connect audiences with presenters whose intellect and talents demonstrate women’s backbone, ingenuity, and forward thinking from the late 18th century to the start of this new decade.
These events are free to attend, but advance registration is required.
Click here to register for one, or all four, events.
The Missing Waves of Feminism: The First Wave
Sunday, April 11th 7:00pm ET
Join the NWHM and a distinguished panel of barrier-breaking women, scholars, and activists as they discuss early activism, the roles of minority women, and the impact of social movements in the First Wave era of feminism.
Panelists:
Michelle Duster is an author, professor, public historian, and champion of racial and gender equity. She has written, edited, or contributed to over a dozen books. Her most recent book, Ida B. the Queen: The Extraordinary Life and Legacy of Ida B. Wells, was released on January 26th by Atria/One Signal publishers, a division of Simon and Schuster. She co-wrote the popular children’s history book, Tate and His Historic Dream; co-edited Impact: Personal Portraits of Activism; Shifts: An Anthology of Women’s Growth through Change; Michelle Obama’s Impact on African American Women and Girls; and edited two books that include the writings of her paternal great-grandmother, Ida B. Wells.
Dr. Martha Jones is the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor, Professor of History, and a Professor at the SNF Agora Institute at The Johns Hopkins University. She is a legal and cultural historian whose work examines how black Americans have shaped the story of American democracy. Dr. Jones is the author of Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All (2020), selected as one of TIME’s 100 must-read books for 2020.
Dr. Lisa Tetrault is an associate professor of history at Carnegie Mellon University and specializes in the history of gender, race, and American democracy with a focus on social movements and memory. Dr. Tetrault lectures on the U.S. suffrage movement and is active as a public historian. In 2019, she delivered the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery’s Votes for Women exhibit keynote address. She currently serves as an historical consultant for the National Constitution Center’s Nineteenth Amendment exhibit, the Woodrow Wilson House’s “Women’s Suffrage Initiative,” the PBS American Experience documentary The Vote, and Ancestry dot com’s new Women’s Suffrage Project.
Moderator:
Dr. Michele Bratcher Goodwin is a global thought leader and advisor, as well as an award-winning author, advocate, professor, and social commentator. She is the host of the popular podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin, at Ms. Magazine. Her writings address pressing matters of law, society, and global health. Her publications appear across five books and more than one hundred law review articles, book chapters, and commentaries. Her opinion editorials and commentaries can be found in The New York Times, LA Times, Salon.com, Politico, Forbes, The Christian Science Monitor, and other platforms. She is a frequent contributor to Ms. Magazine and is the Chancellor’s Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Goodwin is an elected member of the American Law Institute, an elected fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and an elected fellow at The Hastings Center.
To attend this event, please register here
The Missing Waves of Feminism: The Second Wave
Sunday, June 13th 7:00pm ET
More information coming soon!
Pre-register here
The Missing Waves of Feminism: The Third Wave
Sunday, September 26th 7:00pm ET
More information coming soon!
Pre-register here
The Missing Waves of Feminism: The Fourth Wave
Sunday, December 12th 7:00pm ET
More information coming soon!
Pre-register here
Feminism: The First Wave, Guest Curator-Led Virtual Tour
Sunday, May 2, 3:00pm ET
While many date the “first wave” of feminism to the Women’s Rights Convention held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, the origins of feminisms lay much earlier. So-called "first wave feminists"—of all racial and ethnic backgrounds—were influenced by the political involvement and tactics of civically engaged women from all over the world dating back centuries.
With the Convention in 1848, feminist-minded activists began to see the right to vote as key to unlocking other rights and power. Yet the fight for the vote was unequal and segregated, with many women of color left out of white-dominated organizations and public events.
Feminists of color—including African American, Asian, and Latina women—would not be shut out, though, and formed their own organizations to advocate for reform, social justice, and their rights as women. With the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, the "first wave" of feminism left the door open for continued activism and subsequent waves of feminisms.
Women's Army Corps: Female Soldiers in World War II, Guest Curator-led Virtual Tour
Sunday, May 16, 3:00pm ET
Unlike the other women’s auxiliaries, WACs served in all theatres of the war, dispelling the notion that women were unfit for combat conditions. Working as switchboard operators, mechanics, cryptanalysts, clerks, motor pool drivers, and in many more positions both overseas and stateside, WACs effectively freed men to fight on the frontlines where they were needed most. Not only did the Women’s Army Corps assist in securing an Allied victory during WWII, they proved that women could serve their country effectively and paved the way for women’s place in the Army today.
Join NWHM Education Programs Manager Liz Eberlein for a guest curator-led virtual tour of the Museum's popular online exhibit, The Women's Army Corps: Female Soldiers in World War II, in honor and observance of National Military Appreciation Month.
The National Women’s History Museum strives to provide programs that are accessible to all visitors. For questions, or to request accommodations such as an ASL interpreter or captioning, please email [email protected] at least 7 days in advance of the program.