International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month

Dear HFC Community,

This message is one of many messages related to our diverse community’s numerous unique holidays, including cultural, historic, and religious observances throughout the year. I am likely to write about the holidays or cultural observances that mean the most to you as they occur throughout the year. Please let me know if you want to learn my plans about a holiday that is specifically important to you.

M onday, March 8 is International Women’s Day, celebrated in many countries worldwide. Throughout March, our College and nation celebrate Women’s History Month.

What is International Women’s Day?

The roots of International Women’s Day date back to 1908, when 15,000 women marched in New York City to draw attention to the need for better working conditions and equal rights. The event brought together the interests of suffragettes (those who advocated for women’s right to vote) and socialists, two groups that had not always agreed on their primary goals.

At that time, women did not have the right to vote, and they did not have legal protection to demand anything from their employers. They could be fired at any time for any reason. The women who marched that day – and women who have struggled throughout history for equal rights and social justice – advocated for others at great personal risk. In fact, as early as 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and other women had organized a small-scale Women’s Rights Convention in New York to demand civil, social, political and religious rights for women in their “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions.”

In the years following the 1908 march, activists in Europe and Asia began to organize an International Women’s Day event to recognize the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, and to advocate for gender equality. The holiday was observed for the first time in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. During World War I, the date was settled as March 8, the date which remains to this day.

The United Nations recognized International Women’s Day in 1975. For the next 25 years, not much changed, and the holiday was observed through modest celebrations, without robust international support. Many assumed that women’s rights and equality had largely been achieved. In 2000, a group of activists concerned that the holiday was languishing in obscurity launched internationalwomensday.com and began organizing more widespread recognitions of women’s achievements and calling for gender equality.

Each year since, the holiday has had a theme. This year, there are two. The 2021 UN (United Nations) Women’s theme is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.” The 2021 International Women’s Day Community theme is “Choose to Challenge,” which advocates the idea that challenge is required to bring about change. I encourage you to watch this 4-minute spoken word video by Anisa Nandaula amplifying the Choose to Challenge theme. This poem addresses issues that affect the lives of women worldwide.

Women make up half the human race. Yet women are underrepresented at the highest levels of leadership in the public and private sectors. Women earn less for the same work, and women occupy a disproportionate share of lower-paying jobs. Sadly, women face legal and cultural disadvantages in many parts of the world. There is still much work to be done in achieving equity and justice for women. In many cases, these issues are even more pronounced for women whose gender identity is non-binary or whose sexual orientation is LGBTQ. Part of making progress includes men publicly stating these truths.

Communities in countries worldwide organize a variety of events to commemorate International Women’s Day, to recognize the achievements and contributions of women, and to continue to advocate for full equality and justice across the globe.

What is Women’s History Month?

As with many heritage months, Women’s History Month began with local celebrations and later became a larger national event. In 1978, a group of organizers in Santa Rosa, California, started a celebration of Women’s History Week, timed to correspond with International Women’s Day on March 8. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued a statement encouraging Americans to recognize what he called National Women’s History Week “with appropriate activities” during the week of March 2-8.

Congress further formalized the commemoration by requesting that President Ronald Reagan proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as Women’s History Week. On that occasion, President Reagan said, “American women not only worked to secure their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity but also were principal advocates in the abolitionist, temperance, mental health reform, industrial labor and social reform movements, as well as the modern civil rights movement.”

In 1987, advocating for much broader recognition and study of women’s contributions to U.S. and world history, the National Women’s History Project asked Congress to designate the entire month of March as Women’s History Month. Each president since that time has continued the tradition of a proclamation for Women’s History Month. The month annually commemorates the contributions of women in every area of human endeavor.

The Library of Congress and National Museum of American History are sponsoring a series of online exhibits in honor of Women’s History Month 2021. I encourage you to visit the website.

Many events such as lectures, performances, concerts, marches, cultural activities, and other commemorations take place throughout the nation and the world. The pandemic has limited public celebrations in 2020 and 2021.

Women’s leadership is personal for me

The strength and wisdom of women’s leadership has been a formative influence throughout my life. I am the son of a strong mother, who dedicated herself to raising me as a person who would value and support the contributions and dignity of every person. I am grateful that she continues to teach and influence me today. I married another strong, intelligent woman, who has become the best life partner I could ask for. Courtney is my best friend, my closest advisor, and my eternal sweetheart. These two women leaders are the exclusive members of my “Kitchen Cabinet,” who help me navigate all life’s challenges. They have kept me from going off the runway on several occasions. Courtney and I are raising another strong woman in our 6-year-old daughter, who is thriving in kindergarten and has already shown she is a force to be reckoned with.

One of my favorite events at HFC has been the Women’s Recognition Luncheon, normally held in March each year. At the 2019 luncheon, I told the attendees that women in leadership roles represent a powerful symbol of possibility. Women in leadership are an embodiment of the idea that you can achieve great things, and sometimes you have to fight for them. There are industries and organizations in which the “glass ceiling” still exists and limits the ability of women to reach the highest levels of leadership.

Yet there are many inspiring and powerful role models of women who reach the highest levels in every field, including international women prime ministers and presidents, CEOs, Supreme Court Justices, entrepreneurs, educators, inventors, athletes, artists, writers, performers, and more. I want my daughter and son to grow up seeing strong, ethical women leaders across our country and our world.

But it will take action, by all of us, especially by men in power.

And I am committed to doing more than speaking about this. I am committed to changing the world that my children and our students inherit when they take the reins as our leaders.

I have publicly stated that my two mentors during the majority of my tenure are elected women leaders: Trustee Mary Lane and Trustee Mary Petlichkoff. I have taken great pride in welcoming four new Vice Presidents to our Cabinet: Vice President Amy Clark, Vice President Lori Gonko, Vice President Rhonda DeLong, and Interim Vice President Holly Diamond. Each of them are leaders who show integrity, hard work, civility, and the ability to simultaneously listen and solve problems.

Dr. Michael Nealon selected four women as the initial Deans of our four Schools: Dean Susan Shunkwiler (HHS), Dean Janice Gilliland (STEM), Dean Pat Chatman (BEPD), and Dean Jennifer Ernst (SOLA). The Chairperson of the HFC Foundation is a woman of high talent and experience, Denise McDonald. I have enjoyed a true partnership with President Lynn Boza of the Adjunct Faculty Organization and Presidents Kim Kaier and Leslie Windless of the Support Staff Association. Our College has hosted government leaders to meet our students and employees: the Governor (twice), our Congressperson (four times), and our state Senator (five times). All three are women leaders. And, if you have interacted with my Office, you know there is a strong Macedonian woman leader who runs a tight ship and has served our College for decades, Kathy Dimitriou.

Henry Ford College also proudly shows leadership and service for and by women through the MI-ACE (American Council on Education) Women's Network at HFC, led by Susan Shunkwiler (HHS) and Shai James-Boyd (Advancement and Alumni Relations). MI-ACE at HFC hosts a variety of educational, social, and professional development events to help women connect and succeed in their professional and personal lives.

Hundreds of women work at our College and serve our students and our community. Their contributions are valuable at every level, and I see and recognize that every day. I am grateful for them. I will continue recognizing women as teammates and leaders because it demonstrates what our culture values—diverse teams of people make better, safer, more-just decisions and communities. And I am proud to embrace and celebrate that culture through women in leadership at every level.

The photo I share with this message represents three different stages of women in leadership. On the left is Michigan Senator Sylvia Santana, a great friend to the College who was instrumental in helping us obtain the $6.7 million appropriation that will contribute to the major renovation of the Tech Building. She is a servant of our community and state, and a powerful role model in the lives of other women. Next to Senator Santana is HFC Trustee Roxanne McDonald, who has won elected office and served our community and this College for many years. She is a past winner of the Gene L. Brazell Community Role Model Award, presented during a previous Women’s Recognition Luncheon, and an advocate of many causes including the establishment of the HFC Veterans Center. The third young woman in this photo, my daughter Samantha, will benefit throughout her life from the influences of women like Senator Santana and Trustee McDonald. I am grateful for these women and other role models in her life.

One of the advantages of being a man in a leadership role is the ability to recognize, elevate, and showcase women’s talents in leadership. I hold women and men to the same high standards of hard work and dedication. I take great satisfaction in seeing them thrive as they embrace these challenges.

I hope all of us will find enrichment through the activities and study of Women’s History Month, and the other recognition and heritage months throughout the year. This is a step toward a more equitable and inclusive community that celebrates every form of human diversity.

Russ Kavalhuna
President
president@hfcc.edu