Women’s History Month 2023
Over the month of March 2023, the museum will present a variety of programs and resources in honor of Women’s History Month, in addition to a special menu in our cafe honoring Chef Julia Child.
(All times Eastern time zone)
Innovative Lives: Beverly Wood
Online Program
March 8, 4 p.m.
An innovator in color technologies for motion pictures, Beverly Wood will be in conversation with Arts and Entertainment Curator Ryan Lintelman in this virtual program presented by the museum’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Through her knowledge of chemistry, engineering and filmmaking, Wood has provided guidance to cinematographers through the industry’s transition from chemical to digital technology.
- Free; register on Eventbrite
Roots to Pop: Rhiannon Giddens, Natalie Merchant, and Revisiting the American Musical Past
March 11; 7 p.m.
Nicholas and Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music
- This event is sold out.
The “Roots to Pop” series, created in collaboration with the Americana Music Foundation, brings together musicians and solo artists Rhiannon Giddens and Natalie Merchant in conversation about the American musical past and how it might affect the American musical present. This event will explore the work and influences of its panelists through discussion and song. Giddens co-founded the Grammy-award-winning “Carolina Chocolate Drops” and is a MacArthur Genius award recipient. Merchant is a singer-songwriter and former lead vocalist for “10,000 Maniacs.”
Inaugural Attire of the First Lady of the United States Jill Biden
“The First Ladies” Exhibition
Ongoing
3 Center
The ocean blue dress and coat designed by Alexandra O'Neill of Markarian and embroidered ivory dress and coat designed by Gabriela Hearst and matching masks worn by Dr. Jill Biden are now on display in the museum’s “The First Ladies” exhibition. Since the museum opened to the public in 1964, every first lady has come in person to present her inaugural attire.
Collected
Podcast – Season 1: Black Feminism Re-rooted
Collected, a podcast from the African American History Curatorial Collective at the National Museum of American History, debuted its first season in 2022. “Black Feminism Re-rooted,” hosted by Drs. Krystal Klingenberg and Crystal Moten, breaks down core Black feminist ideas like intersectionality, self-care, and identity politics. Klingenberg and Moten interview notable Black feminists including Barbara Smith, Brittney Cooper, and Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and offer accessible understandings of social justice concepts for listeners interested in working towards a more inclusive, equitable society.
- Free; available where podcasts are downloaded
- Listen and learn more on the podcast website
Women in Business
Women have been entrepreneurs and owned businesses since the founding of the United States in the eighteenth century. This new online resource draws on museum collections and scholarship to highlight the stories of influential women in business.
“Brief and Incomplete: Votes for Women”
Video
“Brief and Incomplete” asks us to take a look at the histories we think we know and ask: What have we chosen to remember? Who’s missing? And what’s the whole story?
As 19th-century women formed national organizations to work toward woman suffrage, white organizers often marginalized women of color and excluded them from the movement. To advocate for suffrage and address the myriad challenges racism caused their communities, Black women organized through the Black women’s club movement.
NMAH Museum Educator Julie Garner and activist Billie Krishawn explore this history and its relevance to modern-day voting rights. Billie Krishawn is a Washington, D.C., resident who gives time, energy, and resources to help her community, focusing especially on issues around voting rights. She is one of many concerned citizens who, inspired by history, take action to make positive change in their communities.
Women’s History Topic Page
Understanding women’s history is integral to understanding the American experience. Although often underrepresented in recorded histories, women helped build the United States of America of today and women will help shape the United States of America of the future. The Women’s History topic page aggregates the myriad of women’s history content available on the museum’s website.
Women’s History Month Menu at the Eat at America's Table Cafe
Celebrate Women’s History Month in the museum's cafe (Lower Level) during the month of March, with a special menu honoring chef Julia Child. Before or after your delicious lunch, be sure to visit Julia's kitchen in our exhibition FOOD: Transforming the American Table.
In addition, enjoy a special Chef's Table menu on Friday, March 10, prepared by Tala DiPasquale, sous chef at the National Museum of the American Indian's Mitsitam Native Foods Café. Learn more about Chef Tala and see the special March 10 menu.
Self-serve by weight $16.00/lb.
Coq au vin
Braised chicken in wine sauce
Potato gratin
Creamy thin sliced potatoes and gruyere cheese
Ratatouille
Fresh eggplant, zucchini, green and red bell peppers, and tomatoes
Grilled asparagus and shaved parmesan reggiano
Fennel, fingerling potatoes, and sundried tomatoes
Cipollini onions
Beet and citrus salad
Roast pistachios
Clafoutis
Fresh spring berries baked french cake
