Nicholls State University will be hosting a handful of events throughout the month of March in celebration of Women’s History Month. These events will consist of multiple tables in the student union, a few lectures and a luncheon. 

First off, the Nicholls chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will host a women’s appreciation table, offering gifts and a celebratory spirit from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the student union on Wednesday. 

At 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the Nicholls Radio-Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) will host its annual Women in the Media presentation. The goal of the panel is to inform attendees about career-oriented women in the field of mass communication.

The Bonnie Bourg Lecture Series and Women’s History Month Luncheon will be held on Thursday. The event will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the LeBijou Theater, with guest speaker Tina DeSalvo Callais, a former sportscaster, news reporter and anchor. A luncheon will follow in the Bollinger Suites at noon by reservation only and will include a keynote presentation from DeSalvo Callais, along with the presentation of the Women of Achievement awards. 

Reservations are $20 and will be available through Student Support Services. The Student Government Association (SGA) will be sponsoring tickets for Nicholls students, and tickets can be reserved in their office.

On March 25, there will be a Women’s Health Information and Healthy Food Giveaway Table in the union lobby. The  purpose is to provide valuable information and to further celebrate Women’s History Month. 

On March 31, there will be an Equal Pay Day bake sale in the student union lobby. This event will be put on by Nicholls American Association of University Women (AAUW) and intends to raise awareness of the gender wage gap. 

Women’s History Month was established to increase and spread the awareness of women’s role in history and to acknowledge the contributions women have made to society. The very first International Women’s Day in the United States was celebrated on March 8, 1911. 

President Jimmy Carter issued a proclamation in February of 1980 that declared the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. President Carter called for libraries and schools to remember leaders such as Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Alice Paul and Harriet Tubman. 

March was designated as Women’s History Month in 1987 after the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress. Since 1988, there have been annual proclamations from U.S. presidents appointing March as Women’s History Month. 

Women’s History Month has since been used to encourage equality in schools. Consequently, schools continue to offer course material and programs promoting the role of women in society, along with their many accomplishments.