By Josie Gereszek

gereszekjo@mnstate.edu

Students have a month of events to look forward to, all in honor of Women’s History Month at MSUM.

Women’s and gender studies director Kandace Creel Falcón said the goal of this year’s events is to purposefully focus on diverse women’s contributions to our society.

“It’s important to find ways to shift our understanding of history from the great white men narrative which requires women to only be acknowledged for their contributions when they do it within what bell hooks aptly calls the white supremacist capitalist patriarchy,” Falcón said.

With the month featuring events like a social media challenge, film screenings, and writing workshops, Falcón said it’s part of a commitment to documenting the role of diverse women’s experiences that highlights their value in order to challenge the patriarchy.

“The events cultivated throughout the month of March help us gain new perspectives on women’s lives as an effort to meet that goal,” Falcón said.

“We understand the value of highlighting women’s narratives as a positive means for shifting notions about women’s contributions to society.”

The social media campaign asks students to like the Women’s and Gender Studies at Minnesota State University Moorhead Facebook page and message the site a screenshot of an invitation to at least five friends, asking them to like the page, too. To enter a person must also follow @msum_WGS on Twitter, tag the handle and tweet a message stating why they value women’s and gender studies at MSUM using the hashtag #DragonHERstory. A nine-day Instagram challenge also takes place Mar. 23 – 31. Participants will be entered in a drawing to win a feminist tote bag.

Thursday offers a feminist community book club discussion of “Love Imagined: A Mixed Race Memoir” with the author Sherry Quan Lee, which takes place 6:30 – 8 p.m. in the Faculty Development Center in the library.

Friday includes a women’s and gender studies colloquium public reading of “Love Imagined” with the author, 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the Women’s Center, followed by writing workshop “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” Facilitated by Quan Lee and Lori Young-Williams 1 – 4 p.m. in the Weld Library. Because the workshop has limited seating, registration is necessary via creel@mnstate.edu.

Monday features the lecture “Strength from Broken Places: Women in Post-Genocide Rwanda” from Eddah Mutua–Kombo 6 – 7:30 p.m. in CMU 205.

Mar. 10 includes “Their Words, Actions, and Meaning: A Researcher’s Reflection on Rwandan Women’s Experience of Genocide” also featuring Mutua 10:30 – 11:45 a.m. in MA 269.

Mar. 11 features a “Women in Film” colloquium and luncheon featuring Kyja Kristjansson noon to 1 p.m. in the Women’s Center. The 11th also sees the return of the Arming Sisters Workshop at 4 p.m. in the CMU Underground.

Mar. 23 offers OLA’s film screening of “A Crushing Love” at 4:30 p.m. in the Women’s Center. The piece explores the lives of Chicana activists and mothers balancing both family life and a path of activism.

Mar. 25 explores “Healing through Humor: A Radical Stand Up Comedy Workshop” with comedian Jessica Sele at 3 p.m. in CMU 205.

Mar. 26, students can see Sele perform at 7 p.m. in the CMU Underground.

Mar. 30 celebrates women’s and gender studies’ Major Monday: “Civic Engagement and Feminism” with Falcón and Jessica Danielson of the Reach and Rise Program of the YMCA 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. in the Women’s Center.

Mar. 31 is the last day to complete the social media challenge to be entered to win the campaign’s prize.