Helen Hitchcock: Woman Suffragette. Courtesy Library of Congress.

This month, it’s all about women — women’s history, that is. Yes, March is Women’s History Month, a time to reflect on the female struggle for equal rights and the many contributions women have made to every facet of our society throughout history.

This is a good time to remember Trinity’s mission, which includes a commitment to the education of women and the advancement of equity, justice and honor in the education of all people. Trinity is also grounded in the mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, whose goal is education for all — but particularly for women, children, and those living in poverty “in the most abandoned places.”

Throughout the month, the library will keep a display of Women’s History materials by the front computers. Stop by; read up on our six showcase women and their sisters-in-arms; and check out a book or two.

Don’t have time to stop in? View these online resources from anywhere using your myALADIN login:

General Resources

• The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History.
• Encyclopedia Britannica’s 300 Women Who Changed the World (no login needed).
• Great Moments in Kindness: Ten moments from history when a woman’s kindness changed the world for the better.
• A’n’t I a Lady?: Race Women, Michelle Obama, and the Ever-Expanding Democratic Imagination: A discussion of race and gender from the time of Sojourner Truth to the present.
• Bad Romance / Women’s Suffrage: Watch a music video on women’s suffrage set to the tune of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”

Michelle Obama at the 2009 Inaugural Parade. Courtesy Library of Congress.

Our Six Showcase Women

• Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court: Judge Sonia Sotomayor; Meet the Sotomayors; and A Justice Like No Other.
• Sotomayor Family Photos: A slideshow of Sonia Sotomayor’s family photos, narrated by the Associate Justice herself (no login needed).

• Michelle Obama, First Lady: Michelle’s Moves; How to Read Michelle Obama; and Michelle Up Close.
• The White House Vegetable Garden: Follow Michelle Obama on a YouTube tour of her famous White House garden.

• Mae Jemison, Astronaut and Scientist: Reaching for the Stars; Earthgazer; and Advancing African Health Care through Space Technology: An Interview with Dr. Mae C. Jemison.
• Dr. Mae: Mae Jemison’s professional website.

• Clara Barton, Founder of the American Red Cross: Clara Barton; Super Storm; and Clara’s Heart.
• The Clara Barton National Historic Site and The American Red Cross.

• Sojourner Truth, Abolitionist: Narrative of Sojourner Truth; Demanding a Voice Among the Pettifoggers: Sojourner Truth as Legal Actor; and ‘I Don’t Know How You Will Feel When I Get Through’: Racial Difference, Woman’s Rights, and Sojourner Truth.
• Sojourner Truth Bust: Learn about the bronze statue on display in the Capitol honoring Truth’s legacy.

• Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Women’s Rights Activist: The Bicycle, Women’s Rights, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Elizabeth Cady Stanton; and The Seneca Falls Declaration.
• The Elizabeth Cady Stanton Trust

Finally, get out and about the DC area this March by visiting these Women’s History sites:

• The Clara Barton National Historic Site in Glen Echo. The former headquarters and warehouse of the American Red Cross 1897-1904.
• The Hillwood Museum and Gardens between Cleveland Park and Van Ness. The stunning, 25-acre estate of art collector and philanthropist Marjorie Merriweather Post.
• National Museum of Women in the Arts in the heart of DC. More than 3,000 works of art by women — the only collection dedicated solely to the artistic achievements of women.
• Sewall-Belmont House and Museum in Capitol Hill. Headquarters of the National Woman’s Party, the house also displays fine arts and artifacts from the women’s rights movement.
• Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in downtown DC. More than 30 period-appropriate rooms with furnishings from the 17th through 20th centuries.
• The Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site near Logan Circle. Headquarters for the National Council of Negro Women (1943-1966) and museum to the life of an influential African American activist and educator.
• Woman’s National Democratic Club Museum in Dupont Circle. Situated in the former home of a 19th-century opera singer, the museum features historic memorabilia and antique furnishings.

This is a tiny slice of women’s history, and we hope you’ll use it as a jumping-off point for your own explorations!