Simpson College celebrates Women’s History Month

Simpson College will honor Women’s History Month 2021 by hosting a variety of virtual programs throughout the month of March. This year’s events follow the theme “Restoring Justice.”

The complete Women’s History Month schedule and links to virtual events can be accessed at simpson.edu/WHM2021.

“Women’s History Month celebrates women’s vitally important but too often neglected individual and collective contributions to shaping the world we live in,” said Maeve Callan, chair of the Religion Department and director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. “This year’s theme, ‘Restoring Justice,’ relates to the work so many are engaged in across our country and the world to redress longstanding injustices, including those resulting from prejudice and discrimination relating to sex, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religious view, socioeconomic status, and other aspects of our identities. We have a fantastic selection of virtual events for our community, featuring three Simpson alumnae and a variety of leading experts and activists.”

The keynote event of the month is the annual Women in America Lecture. This year’s guest is Mikki Kendall, author of the New York Times-bestselling book “Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot.” Kendall’s critique of today’s feminist movement received the Chicago Review of Books Award and was named a best book of the year by BBC, Bustle magazine and Time magazine.

Kendall’s lecture takes place Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m. via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register at simpson.zoom.us. 

Simpson is also hosting a discussion with Jennifer Hirsch and Shamus Khan, authors of the book “Sexual Citizens.” Hirsh and Khan will talk about their landmark study in “Sexual Citizens: A Conversation About Sex, Power and Assault on Campus” on Wednesday, March 17 via Zoom. The event is being offered to students of Simpson College and Drake University.

The schedule of Women’s History Month events begins with a virtual performance of “We’ve Come a Long Way, Ladies! A Centennial Celebration of the 19th Amendment Through Song.” The performance stars mezzo-soprano and Simpson alumna Audrey Johnson ’05 and takes place Wednesday, March 3 via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register at simpson.zoom.us. 

A virtual performance of Sophie Treadwell’s classic drama, “Machinal” will stream March 26-28. Directed by Jennifer Nostrala, professor of theatre arts, “Machinal” tells the story of societal expectations and pressures driving a woman to lash out. The expressionistic play takes the audience on one woman’s quest to discover purpose in her life in a world that does not see her. Tickets to the free online event can be obtained at eventrbite.com. 

The month closes with a discussion with civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson. Host of the award-winning podcast “Pod Save the People” and co-founder of Campaign Zero, Mckesson will examine his work on criminal justice reform and other issues. The event takes place Wednesday, March 31 at 12:45 p.m. via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register at simpson.zoom.us.

Women’s History Month at Simpson college is sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program.

About Simpson College
Simpson College is a private, liberal arts college located in Iowa with campuses in Indianola, West Des Moines and online. Founded in 1860, the college has 1,268 undergraduate and graduate students. Simpson offers 74 majors, minors and programs in addition to three graduate programs. Outside of the classroom, Simpson is a member of the NCAA Division III American Rivers Conference, hosts eight Greek houses on campus and sponsors many extracurricular options for student involvement.
 
Contact Information
Cathy Cole, Vice President for Marketing and Strategic Communication
Direct: 515-961-1595
Email: cathy.cole@simpson.edu