The Randolph-Macon College Women’s Studies program, the Office of the Governor, and the Virginia Women’s Monument Commission will co-host the Making Women’s History Conference on September 23, 2016 from 1-3 p.m. in Birdsong Hall’s Dalton Room (106 E. Patrick Street). Map and Directions

The purpose of the conference is to educate interested parties on the upcoming Virginia Women’s Monument and a 2019 commemoration; and to provide the opportunity to create a network of persons interested gender, sexuality, and women’s studies. The conference is free and open to the public, and registration is required.

The Virginia Women’s Monument
The primary goal of the conference is to discuss the Virginia Women’s Monument, which highlights the rich history of Virginia Women through its tribute to a diverse group of women who made lasting contributions to the state despite their gender, status, and race.

The Virginia Women’s Monument will be built in Richmond, Virginia on Capitol Square, and will be the first of its kind in the nation. The monument, which will honor the achievements of Virginia women, will feature 12 life-size bronze statues of significant Virginia women positioned around an elliptical plaza. The monument will also feature the Wall of Honor: a glass panel etched with the names of additional noteworthy women throughout Virginia’s history.

Members of the Women’s Monument Commission panel—Sandra Treadway, Virginia State Librarian; the Honorable Nancy Rodrigues, Secretary of Administration; Jonas Courey, Consultant to the Women’s Commission; and Samantha Bentley, Intern to the Women’s Commission—will give a presentation at the conference.

The 2019 Commemoration
The 2019 Commemoration will recognize the impact of women over the past 400 years through a series of events culminating with a major Women’s Leadership Conference in 2019. Kathy J. Spangler is director of the commemoration, which is titled “The Emerging Presence and Impact of Women in the Early Virginia Colony.” Spangler will also speak at the conference.

For more information about the conference, contact Samantha Bentley at (804) 692-2552 or samantha.bentley@governor.virginia.gov.