Best Boston Places To Celebrate Women's History Month 2014
March is Women's History Month, and it's a way to celebrate women in general, but mostly the strides the fairer sex has made over the past several centuries. It is also the perfect time to help continue making progress when it comes to fair treatment of both genders. Boston provides many opportunities to celebrate, network and act for a better future. No matter a girl or woman's age, she can make the best of this year's Women's History Month in Boston.
First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy
J.F.K. Library and Museum
Columbia Point
Boston, MA 02125
(617) 514-1600
www.jfklibrary.org
According to the National Women's History Project, the theme for this year's Women's History Month is "Celebrating Women of Character, Courage and Commitment." All of these are traits that First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy possessed. She was poised, suffered courageously while literally taking a passenger's seat to one of the nation's biggest tragedies and was committed to each task she undertook. The J.F.K. Library and Museum has a permanent exhibit in her honor that looks into her restoration of the White House, childhood, fashion sense and more.
Abiel Smith School
46 Joy St.
Boston, MA 02125
(617) 725-0022
www.afroammuseum.org
The Abiel Smith School is one location of the Boston Museum of African American History. While more oriented toward African American history in the city, especially in regards to education, there is a lot of women's history tied in with the site. In 1850, Young Sarah Roberts became involved in an early court case regarding desegregation. She was forced to attend Abiel Smith School, but her father tried to enroll her in other public schools in the city. She was denied and they sued and lost, but five years later, segregation was disallowed in Massachusetts' public schools.
A Revolutionary Moment: Women's Lib in the Late 1960s and early 1970s
Boston University
Boston, MA 02215
(617) 353-2000
www.bu.edu/conference2014
Date: March 27-29, 2014
During the 60s and 70s, there was a strong push for women's liberation. This was a time when problems like misogyny and repression were real and present obstacles in a woman's everyday life. The scales were skewed and, in the midst of free love and peace, women all over the country set about changing things. Boston University is hosting such women as Geena Davis and discussing everything from depression to movies. This conference is free to the public, but registration is required.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
280 Fenway
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 566-1401
www.gardnermuseum.org
Isabella Stewart Gardner was a woman committed to the arts, and artists loved her for it. She spent her time posing for paintings, collecting art and turning her Boston mansion into a gorgeous vessel for one of the best art collections in the country. Upon her death, she left the home, the grounds and the art it contained to the city. Her contributions to culture in Boston and the United States are undeniable and enjoying her efforts is a great way to celebrate Women's History Month.
Boston Women's Memorial
Commonwealth Ave. Mall
484 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 635-4500
www.cityofboston.gov/women/memorial
The Boston's Women's Memorial is located on the greenway or mall up the middle of Commonwealth Avenue. The memorial is made of bronze and granite. It features three very important women in Boston's history. There is a sculpture of Phillis Wheatley, not only a slave, but also the first African American to be published. Another sculpture is of First Lady Abigail Adams. The third is of suffragist, abolitionist and college graduate Lucy Stone. She was the first woman to keep her surname after her wedding.
Related: Boston's Best Stores To Get Women's Sports Team Apparel
Shelly Barclay is a professional freelance writer and amateur author. She writes on a variety of topics from food to mysteries. She loves to share the culture and rich history of her birthplace and home, Boston, with the rest of the world. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
