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Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories
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Since 1980, women’s achievements and contributions to America’s history, past and present, have been nationally recognized in March, first as a week of celebration and later as a month of celebration. The 2023 Women’s History Month national theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” Civic Influencers values the power of our voices, especially those of our youth, being heard. We know that storytelling is vital to our pursuit of amplifying and securing civic and voting power.
That is why we are outraged by the movement to ban books in Florida and across the country, especially those written by Black women. Freedom to tell our history and our stories hold us accountable. When we amplify the stories of women, especially the stories of and by youth, trans women, Queer women, women with disabilities, women of color, femmes, and non-binary people, we join in celebrating their individual and collective truths, humanity, and power. We can also join in their calls to action relating to issues such as accessible and quality healthcare, equal pay in sports and work spaces, reproductive justice, and LGBTQIA rights. Some of our current Congressional leaders have played a role in the fight for these issues, such as Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, who recently announced that she will not be running for reelection in 2024. Her work may be continued by California Representatives Barbara Lee. Adam Schiff, or Katie Porter.
Our elected officials as well as each of us have a responsibility to answer the call to fight alongside past and present change-makers for a more inclusive democracy for all. This call has historical roots, and our organizing, advocacy, and leadership work, in all its many forms, will help us reckon with our past and impact both present and future stories and lived experiences. So, this month, and every month, Civic Influencers invites you to join us in making space and taking space by exploring our Women’s History Month resources and call to action. We encourage you to listen to, reflect upon, and share the stories of women from your local communities and beyond.
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“Lizzo Spoke Up for Bodily Autonomy on What Would Have Been the 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade”
“Nikole Hannah-Jones on Ida B. Wells’ Legacy in Journalism”
Amandla Stenberg Is the Voice of a Generation, so Listen Up
Billie Jean King - Battle of the Sexes
“I’m Just a Banjo Player”: Rhiannon Giddens in conversation
Reflections from an ADA Generation- Rebecca Cokley
“Memoirist Qian Julie Wang Finally Found a Home With Her Fellow Jews of Color”
Angela Davis on Intersectional Feminism “The Education of X González”
“Navajo women make historic gains in elections, increase influence on tribal council”
Naomi Osaka Official Trailer Netflix
“Sylvia Rivera Changed Queer and Trans Activism Forever”
“Indigenous Women and Femmes Are Winning Fights to Reclaim Land”
“What Are We Going to Do About It?” Mariame Kaba Talks Abolition in Action
“Honoring Yuri Kochiyama's Legacy of Asian and Black Solidarity” “The power of us: Black women deciding elections”
Votes for Women, “We Won’t Go Back"
Defining Feminism Using Tech and Media to Disrupt the Dominant Narrative -Angelique Roche
Owning Otherness- Claudia Gordon
An Essay about Sybil Ludington by Pennsylvania Civic Influencer, Nicole Kruse
Music serves as a powerful, vulnerable, and joyous form of storytelling, and in the face of barriers in the music industry, women share their stories across genres as singers, musicians, emcees, producers, songwriters, and so much more.
Check out our Women’s History Month Spotify playlist, and celebrate women in music with us. Please let us know if there are songs and artists that you’d like to be included!
Consider the long battle for equality for anyone who is not a Cis White Man in our country. Join Civic Influencers as we examine systemic oppression and systemic justice related to patriarchy and White Supremacy.
Consider the barriers to women's voter and civic engagement, how it is related to racial equality, and many specific issues like equal pay, equal access in sports, maternity and paternity leave, women’s inclusion in clinical trials and much more.
Visit our Mobilizing the Margins page! Check out the “Students are Not Apathetic” section.
Sign up for our Motivote team to stay informed and get registered to vote! Check out Civic Influencers’ WHM ERA Toolkit to learn more about the Equal Rights Amendment as well as engagement and next steps opportunities.
Write an op-ed about women’s history for your campus’ newspaper and/or for a campus department or organization newsletter.
Attend RepresentWomen's 2023 Democracy Solutions Summit March 7-9, 2023
Attend 2022-2023 Elsie Hillman Chair in Women and Politics: A Conversation with Cecile Richards
Issue-based Advocacy:
- National Women’s Health Network
- American Medical Women’s Association
- NARAL Pro-Choice America
- GLAAD
- Human Rights Campaign
- Trans Women of Color Collective
- ACLU's Mapping Attacks on LGBTQIA Rights in US State Legislatures
- Transgender Law Center’s National Equity Map
- National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
- National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Native Hope
- Native Hope
Learn more about your state’s current legislation and proposed bills
- Contact your representatives, by email or phone, to let them know where you stand on current legislation and proposed bills.
Learn more about regional, state, and local activists, councils, programs, and community organizations fighting for these issues. Get in touch with them about ways you can support their work!
Start a social media campaign: share what you learn during Women’s History Month, highlight upcoming events, amplify stories, and call on your networks to get involved in issue-based advocacy. You can also create a video to share, highlight, and amplify!
- Check out Civic Influencers’ Digital Storytelling Toolkit for best practices!
Attend your local school board meetings and speak up for LGBTQIA students and educators and against anti-LGBTQIA policies.
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Special thanks to Cornell Duckworth, our Georgia Statewide Organizer, and Anna Cubbage, our North Carolina Statewide Organizer, for their work on our Women’s History Month project.
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Virginia Tech Civic Influencer, Raegan Lampkin, hosting a voter education event on her campus in Fall 2022.
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North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University students, including Civic Influencer Kylie Rice, participated in HBCU Advocacy Day at the NC General Assembly in February 2023. Kylie met with her state representatives to discuss HBCU funding, NC House Bill 40, and issues impacting HBCU students and campuses.
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Arizona Civic Influencers, Gicel Aguirre, Mariah Kempf, and Alissa Morales put up Civic Influencer flyers and engaged voters around Arizona State University Downtown campus with Statewide Organizer Sadiya Khan on Election Day 11/8/2022
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