Belmont will kick off Women’s History Month on March 1 celebrating events centered on “Celebrating the Women Who Tell Our Stories,” as part of the larger theme. The month-long celebration will feature events for students, faculty and staff to consider how women have inspired, shaped and directed storytelling in diverse forms throughout history.   

“It is always such a joy to bring together events from across campus to celebrate Women’s History month at Belmont,” said Heather Daugherty, University Minister and Women’s History Month co-chair. “This year’s international theme, ‘Celebrating the Women Who Tell Our Stories’ is perfect for Belmont as we focus on storytelling. I am incredibly excited about our ‘Celebrating Storytellers’ panel that will kick off the month on March 1. Moderated by Ileia Hook, our panel of storytellers (Victoria Banks, Sybril Brown, Bonnie Smith Whitehouse and Angela Yoon) from across the campus and in various disciplines will inspire our students to dream about how they can become those who share the stories of others for the flourishing of all people no matter their major or interest.  I hope that it reminds each of us that we have a story worth telling and can find purpose and meaning in sharing the stories of others.” 

In addition to Daugherty, Women’s History Month is co-chaired by Susan Finch, Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Associate Professor of English. View schedule highlights below, and check BruinLink for more.

• “Celebrating the Women Who Tell Our Stories” | Wednesday, March 1 at 10 a.m. in the Gabhart Chapel
  • This year’s Women’s History Month theme is “Celebrating Women who Tell Our Stories.” Join us for a panel of Belmont’s own storytellers who will tell us about their journey to where they are today and their passion for telling the stories of others to make a difference in the world.
    

• Watkins College of Art Alumni Talk: Claire Gurley | Wednesday, March 1 at 10 a.m. at Lou Center for the Visual Arts, Room 120 
  • Alumni Claire Gurley speaks about the project she completed with funding provided by the Walter and Sarah Knestrick Award. 
      

• Making Memories: Exploring Belmont University’s Historic Scrapbook Collection | Monday, March 13 at 10 a.m. in Bunch Library Room 300  
  • Belmont University is home to dozens of scrapbooks ranging from the 1890s to the present day that document undergrad life on campus. Thumbing through a scrapbook is like traveling through time to experience a bit of what life was like for its maker.  The books are an important form of self-expression that allowed the maker, often women, to manifest the world around them through what they decided to document.  Belmont University’s Special Collections is beginning the process of digitizing this collection.  Please come and learn about the importance of scrapbooks and Belmont University’s collection as we undertake this new project.  There will also be an opportunity to help create a new scrapbook to document life on Belmont’s campus today.   
    

• “Read In” Celebrating Women’s Storytellers, moderated by Dr. Caresse John and Mae McAninch | Friday, March 17 at 10 a.m. in Ayers 1034 
  • For centuries, women’s voices and stories have been excluded, lost or never heard at all, and yet still they persisted. Join us for a read-in for Women’s History Month, during which faculty and students will read from their favorite works created by women authors. Attendees are invited to share (reading time 2 minutes or less for the first round) or to simply listen to a sampling of the wonderful contribution women poets, novelists, essayists and memoirists have made to the human story. 
    

• “Exploring Black Hair Through Abstraction” Lecture and Exhibit from Ashante Kindle | Monday, March 20 at 5 p.m. in Leu Center for the Visual Arts
  • During this lecture, guests will hear from artist Astanté Kindle who will share her personal hair story and how it has inspired her practice. She will also speak to her artistic career and her current solo exhibition of work in the Leu Art Gallery – “Convergence: A Personal Investigation of Color, Texture and Identity.” The session will be moderated by Watkins College of Art assistant professor of painting Mandy Rogers Horton. 
    

• “The Reinvention of the Romantic Comedy”, lecture by Dr. Margaret Tully, Communications Studies | Friday, March 24 at 10 a.m. in Ayers 1034 
  • Despite their reputation as “chick flicks,” romantic comedies have a long history of centering around toxic relationships, shallow women and cliched storytelling. Countless critics have labeled the genre “dead” since the early 1990s. However, rom-coms have shifted dramatically in the era of Peak TV. This presentation examines how women are redefining the genre, largely through utilizing television to tell lengthier, messier and more realistic stories about love.  Ultimately, this talk will analyze the future of the genre and how we can create more fulfilling stories for women.  
    

• “Fiction Reading from novelist and Belmont alum Kai Harris” | Monday, March 27 at 10 a.m.
  • Author of the award-winning and NAACP-nominated novel, “What the Fireflies Knew,” reads a selection of her work. Co-sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and The Deep Song Reading Series.
    

• Take Back the Night | Thursday, March 30 at 6:30 p.m. in Gabhart Chapel  
  • Take Back the Night is a powerful event that seeks to raise awareness about violence against students and to provide easily accessible resources for violence prevention and student safety. Together we can break the silence and give each other a voice. The event will begin on Thursday, March 30 at 6:30 p.m. with a special chapel service in Gabhart Chapel and will continue with a march around campus, ending at the Bell Tower for a candlelight vigil and a time of support and sharing.