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The March of HerStory: Women's History Month
Traditionally, women's struggles for equal rights and recognition in the public and domestic spheres were largely disregarded or downplayed by mainstream historians. Thankfully, in recent decades, more scholarship has focused on women leaders, innovators and unsung heroines, previously given short shrift in traditional academic disciplines. Thus, the study of women's history seeks to honor the many contributions women have made to global society and to unearth previously unrecognized perspectives and new sets of primary sources.
March brings us Women's History Month, which honors past and present achievements of women throughout the world. First expanded from a week to an entire month in 1987, the official celebration kicks off its 17th year with the theme "Women Inspiring Hope and Possibility." The non-profit Women's History Research Project (http://www.nwhp.org/) sponsors the international celebration, offering resources and teaching kits to promote educational awareness and network with other women's history organizations. The Web site offers a catalog of resources, calendar of events and links to affiliated sites.
A related event, International Women's Day, is observed on March 8. First created by the Socialist Party of America in 1909, the day has officially been under the sponsorship of the United Nations. This "major day of global celebration of the economic, social, cultural and political achievements for women" has an official Web site at http://www.iwd. auroravoice.com/ which includes a listing of events for this year.
For researching women's history, the UB Libraries offer many resources. Women's Studies Librarian Cindy Ehlers has compiled a guide to the discipline; the Web site (http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/womens_studies. html) has a section on history, leading to sites of global scope and full historical range. A most informative link, About.com's What You Need To Know About Women's History (http://womenshistory. about.com/) presents an array of biographies, essays according to subject, quotations, "this day" information and a daily quiz for free subscribers. Another site linked from the UB page, Internet Women's History Sourcebook from Fordham University (http ://www.fordham.edu/halsall/women/womensbook.html), gathers together scholarly documents under the categories of Ancient History, Medieval History and Modern History, covering western and non-western cultures, and sorts them into such subtopics as Great Women, Women's Oppression and Gender Construction.
Western and Central New York boasts a number of women's history landmarks. Just two hours' drive from Buffalo is the National Women's Rights Historical Park in Seneca Falls, where Elizabeth Cody Stanton, Elizabeth M'Clintock and other activists organized the First Women's Rights Convention in 1846. The park consists of the Visitors Center, Stanton's home, Wesleyan Chapel (where the convention took place) and M'Clintock's home in nearby Waterloo. The park's Web site (http://www.nps.gov/wori/) describes the convention, lists its participants and includes the full text of the Declaration of Principles drafted there. Down the road is the National Women's Hall of Fame (http://www.greatwomen. org/home.php), which honors exceptional women in the arts, sciences, business, philanthropy, education and other spheres. To complete the sojourn, be sure to stop in Rochester to visit the Susan B. Anthony House (www.susanbanthonyhouse. org). If you cannot, this Web site offers a biography of the pioneer women's-rights advocate, a timeline and an online tour. These sites, along with others throughout the nation, constitute part of the National Collaborative for Women's History Sites (http://ncwhs.oah.org).< /p>
Finally, you can access further women's history information via UB's Online Databases—click on Women's Studies from the Databases By Subject page at http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/cgi-test/subject.html. Some of the databases that may aid your research include Women's Resources International (citations only), GenderWatch (full text), Contemporary Women's Issues (full text), and Alternative Press Index (citations only).
—Nina Cascio and Rick McRae, University Libraries