This March is Women’s History Month.
Since it’s inception in 1981, beginning with the passing of Pub. L. 97 – 98 that authorized the proclamation of the second week of March as “Women’s History Week”. In 1987, Congress passed additional legislation expanding to the whole month of March as “Women’s History Month”. Each year, special programming is initiated aimed at celebrating the legacies and contributions women have made to society both domestically and internationally at large.
This month, in Washington D.C, near the National Mall and the Smithsonian castle, stands 120 bright orange statues. Writer Joyann Jeffrey, in her 2022 article for Today.com, “Smithsonian unveils 120 statues of women in STEM for Women’s History Month”, writes, “the Smithsonian unveiled a new historic exhibit, ‘ #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit’ , featuring 120 life-size 3D statues of women who have excelled in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM… the exhibit, at the Smithsonian Gardens in Washington D.C, will be on display there and in select Smithsonian museums from March 5 to March 27th.”
The ensemble pays homage to trailblazing women such as Jessica Equivel, one of only 150 Black women to earn a Ph.D in Physics and every day heroes such as Karina Popovich, the college student who made headlines with her efforts in producing 82,000 pieces of personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic.
Another interesting feature is each statue features a QR code that visitors can scan with their phones to learn more about the woman depicted.
Nicole Small, CEO of Lyda Hill Philanthropies, an organization that partnered with the Smithsonian on the exhibit, said the project was crucial to the representation girls and young women today need to see. “We are calling this exhibit, the ‘If Then She Can’ exhibit because we know that if we show little girls all these amazing women doing all this amazing work in this world that each of them will know that they too can grow up and they too can change the world,” Small said.
Representation, an important aspect in the fight for women’s rights, continues to be a hot topic as policy and education continues to be the battleground for change. For more information on how to get involved or supporting efforts for National Women’s History Month, visit womenshistorymonth.gov or nationawomenshistoryalliance.com.
