Bostonians honor National Women’s History Month

Thursday marks International Women’s Day, which is commemorated by the United Nations.

Mary Smoyer, a board member of the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail, said Boston has played a large role in women’s history. There have been many schools founded for women and more education for women in Boston compared to the rest of the country, she said.

The trail offers a guidebook on seven trails throughout the Hub that reveal the history of Bostonian women, according to the BWHT’s website.

Smoyer said the month helps brings women’s history to the forefront.

Professor Diane Balser, a co-director of undergraduate studies for the Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies program at Boston University, said Boston probably has one of the most dynamic women’s movements in the U.S. Balser herself was involved with such movements.

“In 1969, I was involved in the first women’s conference that started the wave of feminism at Emmanuel College,” Balser said.

Carly Pack-Bailey, the program coordinator for BU’s Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies program, said the important thing is to learn about women’s history in any way.

“I think it’s important for the knowledge of women and what they’ve done to be put out there, and I think this month is the best tactic to do that,” Pack-Bailey said.

March earned the title of National Women’s History month in 1987 when Congress chose to expand the celebration of female achievements from one week in March to the full month.

Although there is an entire month dedicated to women’s history, some advocators said there needs to be more than just one designated month.

BU College of Arts and Sciences senior Elisa Gill, the educational resource coordinator for BU’s Center for Gender, Sexuality, and Activism, said women’s history month should not mean setting aside a few weeks to acknowledge female inventors and suffragettes only to return to stories of white men for the rest of the year.

“Instead, we should realize that our past includes all peoples – not just military leaders and presidents, but also housewives and laborers,” Gill said in an email.

Many colleges around Boston, including BU, Simmons College and the University of Massachusetts Boston are working together to help highlight the importance of women’s history through a month-long series of film showings called Women Take the Reel.

The festival is sponsored by women’s centers from BU, Boston College, Brandeis University and other schools around Boston.

“All films from Women Take the Reel are on the focus of women,” Pack-Bailey said. “They are written by women, produced by women, directed by women.”

Balser said it is wonderful to commemorate the issues of women all over the world, and the month makes the triumphs and successes of women visible.

“Women have a lot to be proud of,” she said, “and I think there are a lot of men who supported women and encourage women.”