The City of West Hollywood will celebrate National Women’s History Month in March with a series of virtual events to recognize and honor women and women’s history.
Throughout the month, a series of streetlamp banners that commemorate famous American women, civil rights leaders, and women’s rights activists will be on display along Santa Monica Boulevard. In addition, from March 1 through March 15, the globe lanterns above Santa Monica Boulevard between N. Robertson Boulevard and Hancock Avenue will glow in purple and gold.
National Women’s History Month will officially kick-off with the unveiling of a new women’s history month streetlamp banner honoring celebrated author and Nobel Prize-Laureate Toni Morrison. The City’s featured streetlamp banners also include: Gail Abarbanel; Maya Angelou; Ivy Bottini; Rachel Carson; Hillary Rodham Clinton; Midge Costanza; Marion Wright Edelman; Jane Fonda; Alicia Garza; Barbara Gittings; Dolores Huerta; Coretta Scott King; Wilma Mankiller; Michaela Mendelsohn; Patsy Mink; Connie Norman; Michelle Obama; Rosa Parks; Sonia Sotomayor; Gloria Steinem; Elizabeth Taylor; and Oprah Winfrey; among others.
The City of West Hollywood’s Women’s History Month events will also include the launch of the “Do Something Challenge” – a call-to-action created by the City’s Women’s Advisory Board honoring the resilience of women and encouraging community members to take small impactful leadership actions throughout the month for the greater good. The presentation of the new streetlamp banner and the launch of the Do Something Challenge will take place as part of the regular teleconference meeting of the West Hollywood City Council on Monday, March 7, 2022 at 6 p.m. The City Council meeting broadcast will be available for viewing on the City’s website by visiting www.weho.org/wehotv or on the City’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/wehotv.
In addition, a series of virtual events throughout March 2022 will take place as part of National Women’s History Month, including the following:
Women and Books is a book club that meets on the first Tuesday of each month online to discuss books written by women authors. On Tuesday, March 1, 2022 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the group will discuss Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik. Women and Books is co-sponsored by the City of West Hollywood through its Women’s Advisory Board and by the West Hollywood Library. Attendance is free. To RSVP and for more information, please visit https://www.meetup.com/womenandbooksinweho/events.
The City of West Hollywood and its Russian Advisory Board will present an online International Women’s Day Celebration on Sunday, March 6, 2022 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. International Women’s Day is a global day on and around March 8 celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Enjoy stories about inspiring women viewable online on the City’s YouTube Channel. For additional information please call (323) 848-6826.
MashUp Contemporary Dance Company will present the 6th Annual International Women’s Day Dance Festival. Presented with the support of the City of West Hollywood, it will feature free dance classes, master classes, panels, and a choreographers’ showcase of live performance and dance films. The festival will take place from Friday, March 4, 2022 through Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at various times each day. Admission prices vary from free to $30. For more information and to register, please visit www.mashupdance.com/iwddancefest.
In celebration of women authors, WeHo Reads: How We Gather | A Celebration of Women Who Submit will be held virtually on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at6 p.m. This event will feature a performance of “Ahoy, Women Who Submit,” a collaborative poem created during Saturday check-ins during the pandemic and published in Gathering; a collaborative writing prompt facilitated by Hazel Kight Witham; as well as a panel talk with the Gathering editorial team and contributors to the anthology. Joining the event will be Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo, Flint, Noriko Nakada, Tisha Marie Reichle-Aguilera, and more. A moment of healing at the start of the event will be led by Thea Pueschel. WeHo Reads is a literary series presented by the City of West Hollywood and produced by BookSwell. Admission is free. To RSVP and for more information, please visit www.weho.org/wehoreads.
The City of West Hollywood and its Women’s Advisory Board will co-sponsor the Hollywood NOW Herstory Awards, which are held annually to honor a woman who has made exceptional contributions to the community and embodies the spirit of feminism. This year’s honoree is Ruth Williams, a long-time community leader. The event will take place virtually on Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 7 p.m.Admission is free. To RSVP, please visit https://tinyurl.com/399pc55b. For more information contact hollywoodnowchapter@gmail.com.
The City will host a free Human Rights Speakers Series virtual panel discussion: Women’s Rights Violations in Iran on Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 6 p.m. Women’s rights in Iran are severely restricted. Women confront serious discrimination and inequality on issues such as marriage, divorce, child custody, employment, inheritance, and political office. In recognition of Women’s History Month, this panel discussion will feature Iranian Women from different religions and cultures to discuss these pressing issues and injustices. Registration is requested via Eventbrite: https://hrss-2022mar29.eventbrite.com. For details and more information, visit www.weho.org/hrss. A URL link to the livestream will be sent to those who register.
A full schedule of City of West Hollywood events and meetings is available at www.weho.org/calendar.
For more information about Women’s History Month in the City of West Hollywood, please contact Larissa Fooks, the City of West Hollywood’s Community Programs Coordinator, at (323) 848-6413 or at lfooks@weho.org.For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
What history?