History maker: In 1955, Rosa Parks, a Black seamstress, declined to yield her seat to a white gentleman on a public-transit bus in Montgomery, Alabama, helping to sew the seeds to the civil rights movement.
Who are today’s history makers? Here are webinars, virtual conferences, and storytelling events to observe Women’s History Month. Explore these free or low-cost events (both virtual and in-person) recognizing the contributions of women of color, past, and present. So, go out and create, recreate and celebrate! March is the perfect month to get busy. (Registration is encouraged for some of the free events.) But before venturing out to in-person events, contact the organizers to confirm event hours and find out their updated pandemic-related safety policies.
EDUCATION
Reading, Writing, and Reaffirmation
March 27 & April 10, 2022. Read works by female authors and then try your hand at writing your own creative stories as part of the Re-written, Re-read, Unbound & Unafraid: A reading & writing series by Black Womanhood (Re)Affirmation Project. Free with registration, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Franny Lou’s Porch Cafe & Community Space, 2400 Coral St., in East Kensington.
267-596-6274, Eventbrite.com
Dance Role Models
Through March 17, 2022. Philadelphia Ballet is hosting the Five Pioneering Black Ballerinas — Marcia Sells, Sheila Rohan, Gayle McKinney-Griffith, Karlya Shelton-Benjamin, and Lydia Abarca-Mitchell — as featured panelists, master instructors, and guests of honor at the opening night of Bold Brilliant Balanchine (March 17). The women will be teaching master classes at Drexel University, CAPA High School, and Philadelphia Ballet studios. It’s part of community outreach to connect these inspiring women to the next dance generation. Times vary. For more about this week-long free program: Philadelphia Ballet, 323 N. Broad St.
800-732-0999, www.philadelphiaballet.org
Empowerment Through Civic Engagement
Through March 31, 2022. Zoom in to Women’s History Month with the City of Philadelphia’s Women’s History Month series, “Your Voice. Your Power. Your Vote: Making Democracy Work.” Hosted by the Mayor’s Office of Engagement for Women, the events focus on civics, government, and community engagement. Some sessions are: Build (Your Brand), and They Will Come — How Your Personal Story Can Build a Movement (March 19) and Shattering the Glass Ceiling — Women and Campaign Management(March 22). For more workshops in this series this month: phila.gov
Freeman Became A Free Woman
March 19, 20, 26 & 27. Bravery was at its best when the enslaved Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman successfully sued for her freedom in 1781. This case helped establish a precedent leading to the abortion of slavery in Massachusetts. Her life is portrayed in a first-person performance in the film, “Meet Elizabeth Freeman” starring Tiffany Bacon and written by Teresa Miller.
Stream online at any time or in person; weekends in March, 11:15 a.m. & 2:15 p.m., free, Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. Third St.
267-579-3046, amrevmuseum.org.
Frances Harper
Trailblazer Writes Her Chapter in History
March 19, 2022. Frances Harper was a public speaker, teacher, poet, and writer who, at age 20, was the first Black woman to be published in the United States. Listen to accounts of her life and times (1871 to 1911) as a reformer and prolific literary figure. Free, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Betsey Ross House, 239 Arch St.
215-629-4026, historicphiladelphia.org.
The Women of Cliveden
March 23 & 26, 2022. Peek into the lives of the enslaved women of the historic Cliveden House in Germantown through an in-person tour and exhibit – “Preserving & Adapting Their World: The Women of Cliveden.” $25, 10 a.m. to noon, Cliveden House, 6401 Germantown Ave.
215-848-1777, cliveden.org.
Women in Tune with History
March 27, 2022. The power of song and women’s presence is on stage in a 90-minute afternoon choral concert, “Resilience & Healing: A Celebration of Women in Song,” by the Opera Philadelphia and the Faith Ensemble of Wharton-Wesley United Methodist Church. The program includes selections by Doris Akers and Gale Jones Murphy. Free, 3 p.m., Wharton-Wesley United Methodist Church, 5341 Catharine St., 215-472-6777, or 215-732-8400, operaphila.org.
