The Ground She Walks On: Women’s History Month x UVA
by Abby Palko, October 21, 2021
Join us as we celebrate women’s history and “pay tribute to the trailblazers from the recent and distant past for daring to envision a future for which no past precedent existed, and for building a [world] of endless possibilities for all of its women and girls” (borrowing from the 2021 Presidential Proclamation). Building on our work in 2020 to commemorate milestone anniversaries of UVA’s journey to full co-education, the Women’s Center is excited to introduce the UVA community to the University's newest tradition, an annual celebration of Women's History Month.
For its inaugural year in 2022, we have called upon colleagues and students to embrace and explore nuances to a multitude of stories by joining us in hosting a pan-University celebration throughout Women’s History Month. The celebration, known as The Ground She Walks On, will include a wide range of events, free and open to all.
In the above photo, University Communications' Sanjay Suchak captured the spirit in which we are hosting Women’s History month: history is not merely a set of facts. Following Emily Dickinson’s advice to “tell the truth but tell it slant,” we invite you to consider familiar sights and stories in a new way. Just as the photo draws your eye to viewing Rotunda on a slant, to seeing the physical building and its ephemeral reflection, we invite you all to consider not just the bare facts of the past but also the stories that link them, the multiple pictures that they form. In our daily work with students, we often hear how much they value this sort of opportunity. And we know they are not the only ones. A recent poll of the American public found an overwhelming desire among respondents for “evidence-based techniques that embrace the ambiguities of the past, and that challenge their understandings of history itself.”
The Women's Center and the Division for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are providing funding to assist partners across Grounds who submitted event proposals in the fall and were selected to receive co-sponsorship funds.
In planning this effort, Abby Palko, Director of the Women's Center, likened it to a favorite apocryphal quote by George Eliot, “It’s never too late to be who you were meant to be.” Join us in sharing stories of strong, accomplished women, celebrating the full range of important roles that women have played in history by walking in their footsteps across Grounds, and be inspired to pursue your own dreams and visions.
Some questions you might have – and answers to them:
Q: What kind of events are included?
A: Colleagues and students from across Grounds have panel a wide variety of events including panels, tours, guest speakers, workshops and other events.
Q: Who are these events for?
A: The entire University and Charlottesville-area community!
Q: Will all of the events focus on UVA women?
A: Hoos are fabulous – but no. Let's come together to celebrate the phenomenal women of UVA and others that offer inspiration to the entire community.
Q: Are Women's History Month events in-person or virtual?
A: The slate of events for 2022 includes both in-person and virtual events. Please see individual the individual event page of this site for format or location details for each event.
Q: Why March?
A: Several important anniversaries occur in March:
- March 1, 1972: Title IX, which prohibits discrimination due to sex in federally-funded education programs, was passed.
- March 3, 1913: The first major march on Washington by suffragists.
- March 8, 1911: International Women's Day was established as a holiday.
- March 22, 1972: the Equal Rights Amendment was passed in the Senate.