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Whose shoulders do you stand on? That was the question I posed to four great women who are in my life and who focus on making the world a better place with purpose and courage. Because we know that there is a trail that was blazed before we came along by women whose stories fill us with confidence, bravery and hope; that we too can break through in a world that can sometimes feel systemically against us. This Women’s History Month, we celebrate the women who gave each of them the strength to navigate this world and thrive. We feature the National Women’s History Museum, and the amazing resources it provides to celebrate women’s history and achievements throughout this month. We update you on Breonna Taylor’s murder, where no one has been held accountable one year later, and connect you with resources on how to remain involved in the fight for justice.
This month we let other women guide who we featured, as we hope their stories and connection to these great women gives us all inspiration to remember, we all have greatness within. We must journey our way to expressing it, for the betterment of ourselves, and those who will come after us.
Happy Women’s History Month.
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 Public Domain
For the last twenty years, the National Women’s History Museum has served as the largest online cultural institution dedicated to US women’s history. As an institution, it has galvanized support for preserving, illuminating, and sharing the powerful history of women in America.
The year 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote. Progress has been made, but there’s still so much more to do. Now is the moment to help the Museum fully realize its mission—and become the first museum in any nation’s capital to show the full scope of the history of its women. Together, we can build a physical space to experience, understand, and amplify the pivotal role women play throughout history.
You are welcome here.
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March 15-19
Monday
Celebrate Women’s History Month with the National Women’s History Museum! Make plans to attend this special film screening of And She Could Be Next (episode 2), including live q&a with the filmmakers.
Click Here
Tuesday
Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!
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Wednesday
Learn more about Latinas’ bicultural political engagement andexperience in the United States. Explore the online exhibit, Representation with a Hyphen: Latinas in the Fight for Women’s Suffrage.
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Thursday
#KnowHerStory! Learn more about the women’s suffrage movement in this Women’s History Minute short film.
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Friday
Learn more about women’s history by virtually visiting the Maryland Museum of Women’s History.
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March 22-26
Monday
What can sports teach us about women’s leadership? Read more on this topic from mountaineer Vanessa O’Brien in “Mountains have No Ceilings.”
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Tuesday
Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!
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Wednesday
Take a light-hearted lunch break with illustrator Marissa Valdez as she reads her most recent illustrated work, Ambitious Girl, by Meena Harris, and discusses her journey as a visual artist.
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Thursday
Learn more about African American women’s leadership at the vanguard of the civil rights movement. Explore the online exhibit, Standing Up for a Change.
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Friday
Learn more about women’s history by virtually visiting the Women’s Museum of California.
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March 29-31
Monday
Discover the inspiring story of Maria Tallchief, America’s first prima ballerina. Explore the online exhibit, Maria Tallchief.
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Tuesday
Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!
Click Here
Wednesday
Scroll through some of the presentations from the recent PBS Unladylike2020 education summit held in partnership with the National Women’s History Museum. Why do women continue to be left out of the social studies standards? How can we ensure that all voices are included in our national history?
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March 1-5
Monday
Discover the history behind women’s history month.
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Tuesday
Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!
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Wednesday
Explore the online exhibit, First but Not the Last. Learn more about barrier- breaking women who ran for office and ensured women are present wherever decisions are being made.Click Here
Thursday
Celebrate the ground- breaking “first” of a woman in national office through the visual arts!
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Friday
Learn more about women’s history by virtually visiting the National Women’s Hall Of Fame.
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March 8-12
Monday
Celebrate International Women’s Day with the National Women’s History Museum! Make plans to attend this special film screening of And She Could Be Next (episode 1), including live Q&A with the filmmakers.
Click Here
Tuesday
Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!
Click Here
Wednesday
Learn more about the social movements in which American women participated in the fight for equality. Explore the online exhibit, Pathways to Equality.
Click Here
Thursday
Discover how a pilot, an orator, and a community worker can help us understand the qualities of a great leader. Join the National Women’s History Museum in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for a virtual event, “In Justice: Historical Objects and Social Justice.”
Click Here
Friday
#KnowHerName and #KnowHerStory! Learn more about the visionary leader Ida B. Wells, a key advocate for justice during the 19th century.
Click Here
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Michael Clevenger / Courier Journal
Events, rallies mark 1-year anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death
On March 13, 2020, Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her home by police officers who broke down her door to serve a search warrant.
One year later, her death and her name continue to drive calls for change to policing, systemic racism and a host of other issues in Louisville and cities nationwide. Events and rallies were scheduled over the weekend in major U.S. cities, including New York, Washington and Atlanta, in honor of the 26-year-old Black woman. President Joe Biden called Taylor's death a "tragedy" and "a blow to her family, her community, and America" in a tweet posted Saturday afternoon. "As we continue to mourn her, we must press ahead to pass meaningful police reform in Congress," he added in the tweet.
In Louisville, hundreds gathered Saturday afternoon in Jefferson Square Park for the Justice for Breonna Taylor rally and march. Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, and other family members led the rally.
They were joined by speakers, community organizers and family members of other Americans who died at the hands of police, including relatives of Sean Monterrosa, 22-year-old Latino American who was shot by a police officer in Vallejo, California, in June. Daughters of Danny Ray Thomas, a Black man who was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy in Houston in 2018, also were there.
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"This is about justice," said Sadiqa Reynolds, CEO of Louisville Urban League. "This is about our power to change this world for our children, for my daughter. This is so we make sure that not another person dies at the hands of the police.”
A federal lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department also was announced over the weekend.
Multiple law firms have joined to file a federal lawsuit against the Louisville Metro Police Department on behalf of Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, who was with her the night she was killed. Walker also has a state lawsuit against the city and the police department seeking immunity from prosecution and damages, alleging he was the victim of police misconduct.
The complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky names the department and the officers involved in the raid that led to the fatal shooting of Taylor, according to a news release.
The complaint describes, among other things, "several ill-fated policies and customs of the Louisville Metro Police Department that led to the tragic events of March 13."
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"As a young girl, I struggled with insecurities about my looks and my incredibly wild imagination, but the moment I saw Grace Jones, it was like everything clicked. Her confidence, her style, her humor, her vivacious spirit and her beautiful complexion left me in awe. Never has there been a woman in entertainment so singularly herself - the epitome of ‘one of a kind.’ S he boldly stood out and against the industry standard and never allowed her artistry to be put in a box. From music, to fashion, to acting - she continues to do it all with... well, grace! I carry her bravery, wit and daring sense of self expression into every facet of my life and artistry today. Grace Jones is a legend and my hero."
Jocelyn Bioh
Writer/Performer
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"When I think of strength, I think of women. Women like Harriet Tubman who were enslaved and risked their life to not only escape, but to free so many others from the vicious practice of slavery. I am motivated by her courage and tenacity, and moved by the breadth of her compassion.  Maya Angelou is also a woman I deeply admire and look to for inspiration. I devoured all her books when I first discovered them while in college, and I still turn to her words when I need reminders of my power and resilience. These black, female role models connect me to a past that is encoded in my body and spirit, and they help me move forward in this life with grace and purpose."
Nicole Comp
Architect
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"Toni Morrison, first Black woman to win a Nobel Prize – almost a century after they began awarding Nobel Prizes in 1901. Her fictional work had a profound impact on me as a teenager. The deep affirmation of reading stories that centered on Black girls and women. The empowering realization that a Black woman could be at the absolute top of her chosen field.  Nowadays, it is her non-fictional writing that I turn to time and time again, to make sense of difficult questions and to see anew. She reminds us of the importance of creating our own narratives where they do not exist. "
Tafadzwa Pasipanodya
Represents sovereign States in international legal disputes as a partner at a US law firm.
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"I admire Yvonne Vera for the impact she has had on literature and the visual arts in Zimbabwe. Her work as a novelist, lyrical and passionate in nature, deals with such an unflinching bravery and sensitivity on war, colonialism, patriarchy and the accompanying gender inequality, rape, incest and infanticide. To me growing up reading her work from before I was allowed to do so to when the novels were considered appropriate for my age, I was inspired; by how a woman of that time had dared to take space and owned it . Always floored by how she situated history and historical events within the context of a female centred narrative. Whilst the stories are often placed in colonial and post colonial Bulawayo a place whose cultural context varies from mine, I saw pieces of myself in those women and empathised with the quiet rage they had to pack within their bones in order to survive a day in such an oppressive society.  I was empowered through how she could transpose a nuanced and complex experience within a simple sentence. There is no greater revolutionary act than that of being a conduit for a people, that they see themselves, imagine and contemplate who they want to be beyond the pages of history in their own language. Her gift of words and her willingness to guide her gaze towards the often overlooked is one of the reasons why I believe in holding space; nurturing my voice, telling my stories so that other women may tell their own stories."
Zaza Muchemwa
Associate Artistic Director, Almasi Arts
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Smithsonian National Museum of American History Exhibit
The history of girlhood is not what people think; it is complicated. Young women are often told that girls are “made of sugar and spice and everything nice.” What we learn from the past is that girls are made of stronger stuff. They changed history. From Helen Keller to Naomi Wadler, girls have spoken up, challenged expectations, and been on the front lines of social change. Although definitions of girlhood have changed, what it means to grow up female in the United States has always been part of the American conversation.
With a design inspired by zines, the 5,000-square-foot gallery features five story sections: Education (Being Schooled), Wellness (Body Talk), Work (Hey, Where’s My Girlhood?), Fashion (Girl’s Remix), plus seven biographical interactives stories, A Girl’s Life. The design features custom murals and illustrations by artist Krystal Quiles. The exhibition will tour the country through the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service from 2023 through 2025.
Exhibition Website
Can't visit in person? The exhibition's companion website gives visitors the opportunity to experience many of the objects and stories featured in Girlhood, and offers the unique opportunity to explore a selection of historical artifacts as high-resolution, narrated 3D scans.
The exhibition website has six main sections:
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Girls make history. Now, and in the past, girls show us that politics runs much deeper than being a Democrat or a Republican.
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In school, girls are taught to fit in.
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Not all girls had a childhood because they had to work.
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Americans talk about girls' bodies a lot. Why? Because girls' bodies are often treated like community property.
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Girls made fashion their own, and they made it speak.
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Each story in this series offers a window into a girl's life and how she made history.
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Stand With Breonna
Saturday. March 13th, 2021 marked one year since police killed Breonna Taylor during a botched raid. Her family and millions of others continue their demand for justice.
Breonna was asleep at home when a rogue task-force of the Louisville police broke down her door in the middle of the night and murdered her. They were attempting an illegal drug raid in the wrong neighborhood for a suspect that they'd already arrested earlier that day.
The police officers have yet to be arrested or charged. Breonna's family saw no progress in their fight for justice, so they reached out to our team at the Action PAC. We need all hands on deck!!!
 Add your name: We’re calling on the Louisville Metro Police Department to terminate the police involved, and for a special prosecutor to be appointed to bring forward charges against the officers and oversee all parts of this case. We’re demanding that the Louisville Metro Council pass new rules banning the use of no-knock raids like the one used to break into Breonna’s home.
Since the launch of this petition, Commonwealth Attorney Tom Wine has recused himself from the investigation into the LMPD conduct that night, the FBI is now investigating the killing of Breonna Taylor, the LMPD Police Chief, Steve Conrad, announced his retirement, and all charges have been dropped against Breonna’s boyfriend, Kenny Walker, but our work is not done.
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