March has become known as Women’s History Month (WHM), five weeks dedicated to appreciating the women in one’s life as well as taking into consideration everything that influential women have contributed to history and society as a whole. The importance of WHM is recognized and celebrated in a number of ways at Delta, all with the help of the Delta’s Women’s History Month Committee.
In 2014 a group of women at Delta realized the celebration of WHM was inconsistent and decided there was a need for this group to bring awareness to what this month represents, thus the Women’s History Month Committee was born.
“The function of this committee is to plan events that celebrate Women’s History Month by focusing on both historical and current women who are leaders in various fields and honoring the contributions of women both past and present, “ said Lynn Hawley, Professor and Women’s History Distance Education Committee Chair. “This committee works hard every year to plan events that we hope will inspire students and staff.”
This was also the group that pushed to have the plaza on campus named after Dolores Huerta as well as establishing an ongoing scholarship fund to honor this inspiring Stockton woman and Delta alumna.
The committee has hosted events for WHM in the past such as “Passing her the Mic,” author talks and even movie nights in collaboration with Delta’s Pride Center.
“We’ve brought writers, artists, film-makers, historians, and activists to talk directly with our students and hosted resource fairs and movie nights,” said Dr. Sarah Seekatz, Professor and one of the leadership members of the Committee. “I think it’s important to note that we have received incredible support from groups on campus- be it the Cultural Awareness Program, the Horton Gallery, the Pride Center, ASDC, and other groups and organizations on campus.”
This year there are no in-person events scheduled to celebrate WHM, but there are a number of virtual events that will be opened for students and staff to participate in.
Here are a list of virtual events, as stated by Committee Chair Lynn Hawley, that the Women’s History Month Committee is putting on this month to celebrate WHM:
Tuesday, March 1, and every Monday in March – Delta College’s Black Faculty Task Force and Ethnic Studies Department are collaborating to publish videos featuring powerful women and their contributions as part of the Amari video series. The series can be found at bit.ly/sjdcwhmamariseries
Friday, March 4 at 7 p.m. – Stockton drag queen Hellen Heels takes viewers on a journey with her as she creates her makeup look fit for a queen. Pre-registration is required.
Wednesday, March 9 at 12:30 – Document the Impact. Lakota/Chicana filmmaker Adreanna Rodriguez showcases her film about female pastoralists from the Maasai tribe in Northern Tanzania, Africa. Rodriguez, a former Delta College student, will answer questions about her work on the impact of climate change.
Thursday, March 10, all day – Miguel’s Fundraiser benefiting LREA – Grab breakfast, lunch and/or dinner at Miguel’s, a woman-owned and operated restaurant on Pacific Avenue. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the La Raza Employees Association scholarship fund.
Wednesday, March 23 – Celebrate a Delta Shero – Meet Delta custodian Belisa Gonzalez in a video recognizing her contributions to campus. For more, visit bit.ly/sjdcwhmdeltashero
Tuesday, March 29, 3 p.m. – The ‘bell’ Rings: A tribute to the life, works and legacy of bell hooks – Delta College’s Black Faculty Task Force and Ethnic Studies Department host a presentation examining the life and works of author and activist bell hooks. For more, visit bit.ly/sjdcwhmbellhooks
Wednesday, March 30, 1:30 Active Minds Caregivers Town Hall – Join Active Minds for a Town Hall focused on the mental health and role of caregivers. For more, visit bit.ly/sjdcwhmactiveminds
For more details on past and future events hosted by the WHM Committee, visit Delta’s official website and search for “Women’s History Month.”
Students at Delta believe that women should be celebrated everyday, not just during a specific month.
“I just appreciate women day to day,” said first-year student Kayla Lorum. “I think this month is very empowering… women just existing is empowering.”
Another student, Carlos Hernandez, believes that the celebrations of WHM should be year-round.
“It shouldn’t just be a month, women should feel appreciated and respected every month and every day,” said Hernandez.
Hernandez had recently heard about the Women’s History Month Committee and suggested that a musical event would be a good idea to have at Delta in the future. “For me, I would like to see something including music. If they bring in music they would probably attract more people and be active.”
Hernandez chooses to celebrate WHM by showing appreciation to the women in his life.
“First off, I would buy my mom flowers and when I come to school I would spoil my female friends…like just make them feel appreciated,” he said.