Women’s History Month began as Women’s History Week in March 1978. By 1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month in perpetuity. A special Presidential Proclamation is issued every year which honors the extraordinary achievements of American women. For more detailed information, visit The National Women’s History Project.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we have put together two displays: “Nevertheless She Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women” and “Foundations for Greatness: Women in History.”

Our first display follows the National Women’s History Project  2018 theme – Nevertheless She Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The phrase “Nevertheless She Persisted” was born in February 2017 when Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was silenced during Jeff Sessions’ confirmation hearing for Attorney General. At the time, Warren was reading an opposition letter penned by Coretta Scott King (a past NWHP honoree) in 1986. Referring to the incident, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) later said “Senator Warren was giving a lengthy speech. She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless she persisted.” Feminists immediately adopted the phrase in hashtags and memes to refer to any strong women who refuse to be silenced. (“2018 Theme and Honorees.” National Women’s History Project, https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/2018-theme-honorees/www.nwhp.org/2018-theme-honorees/.)

In April 1972, Wentworth Institute of Technology became a co-ed college when the Board of Trustees accepted and ratified the recommendation of the board’s education committed that women be admitted to women. 46 years later, women make up 20% of Wentworth’s population (which is much bigger than 1972; only five women enrolled for study at Wentworth during this time).

Every March, Wentworth celebrates Women@Wentworth, which brings together alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends in the areas of design, engineering, construction, technology, and management to make contacts, exchange ideas, and strengthen bonds. In junction with Women@Wentworth, we have created a second display called “Foundations for Greatness: Women in History.” This display focuses on women and their accomplishments in the architecture, science, and design fields; this is also to serve as inspiration to our female students.