Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 5-2021 Reframing National Women's History Month: Practicalities and Consequences Skylar Bre’z Western Michigan University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the Women's History Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Bre’z, Skylar, "Reframing National Women's History Month: Practicalities and Consequences" (2021). Dissertations. 3715. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/3715 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Reframing National Women's History Month: Practicalities and Consequences by Skylar Bre’z A dissertation submitted to the Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy History Western Michigan University May 2021 Doctoral Committee: Edwin A. Martini, Ph.D., Chair Mitch Kachun, Ph.D. Susan Freeman, Ph.D. Reframing Women's History Month: Practicalities and Consequences Skylar Bre’z, Ph.D. Western Michigan University, 2021 This study evaluates the practicalities and consequences of designating one month (March) out of the calendar year for the commemoration of women’s history. In the 1970s and 1980s, national women’s organizations such as the Women’s Action Alliance (WAA) collaborated with the Smithsonian Institute and the Women’s History Program at Sarah Lawrence College to build programs to increase awareness of women’s history. Using an interdisciplinary approach grounded in feminist theory, media studies, and historical memory studies, this project contextualizes the commemoration through its connection to 1970s women’s activism, explores its usefulness as a tool for building educational equity, and questions its contribution to the development of a collective historical narrative. The commemoration of Women’s History Month sits in a critical space. Despite the benefits of annual public celebrations, women’s history remains routinely undervalued. Celebration equates to empowerment. Yet, taught as an elective topic of History, given a public voice for only 31 days, power excludes its practice. Copyright by Skylar Bre’z 2021 DEDICATION Dedicated to the memory of my grandmothers, Helen Mejeur and Johanna Kokmeyer. One a writer, one a teacher. I hope I’ve done you proud. And to my grand-niece Hudsyn Noelle. You’re the future, baby girl. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During a late night conversation with my husband Tom, dying from liver cancer, we talked about what he regretted most. Finishing his college degree topped his list. Less than a year later, inspired by him, I returned to school. Neither of us could have predicted on that dark night where that conversation would lead. I know he is proud. My education and the dissertation writing process have been a gift and the ultimate test of perseverance, a journey that required the coalition of so many people invested in my success. First, I am very grateful for the kindness and inspiration given to me by my doctoral committee members. Always ready with encouraging guidance, Ed Martini, Mitch Kachun, and Susan Freeman illustrate every day that dedication to something you believe in makes a difference in the world. Thank you for believing in me when I struggled to believe in myself. I want to thank the Department of History at Western Michigan University for giving me an academic home. While it was a sometimes-uncomfortable fit for this feminist, the support of my graduate work and examples of professionalism I experienced through members of the History faculty continue to shape me as a scholar. Thank you to Bill Warren and Linda Borish for offering me the opportunity to teach women’s history. Special thanks to Sally Hadden for her unending support for/of graduate students. So appreciated. Thank you to the WMU Graduate College for archival travel scholarships and helpful formatting seminars. Additionally, I want to thank two early mentors in my education. Jon Adams, who iii Acknowledgments-Continued encouraged me to apply to grad school. What an adventure it’s been. You were right - grad school challenged me in many unforeseen ways. And, Gwen Raaberg. I knew I had found my intellectual home when I walked into my first GWS class. And when she shared her “Dr.” story, I knew I had to follow in her footsteps. I am blessed to have her as a mentor and a friend. I also thank the Department of Gender & Women’s Studies for supporting my development as an educator. Teaching is the foundation on which I continue to grow. For the past decade, I am blessed to work with colleagues dedicated to equity: Susan Freeman, Cathryn Bailey, Miriam Konate, Danielle Mott, Maria Newhouse, and Sara Moslener. And, of course, Patty DeLoach, whose competence as an administrator is only outshone by her smile. Thank you to my Ohio State University cohort, who continue to inspire and entertain: Andrea Breau, Nikki Engel, Brendan Shaw, Jess Winck, Rachel Stonebrook, and always, Varsha Chitnis. You’re the Jeni’s to my ice cream. Special thanks to Dr. Dercio Mendocca, who discovered the hole in my heart, and to Dr. Christopher Rogers, who fixed it. I literally owe you my life. My friends and family have offered endless support in what often seemed like an infinite education process. Thank you all, for continuing to believe in me and to believe in the value of education. You are the reason I kept going forward in this process. To my daughter Galadriel/Jack, you bless me with your presence in my life. And, above all, thank you to Jaynee Michaels. Always there to read a draft, hash out an idea, and order Erbelli’s on the really iv Acknowledgments-Continued stressful or celebratory days. You inspire me, every day. Here’s to 30 more years. Finally, thank you to my students. May you continue to ask the hard questions, use your voices, and learn your history. Skylar Bre’z v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………… ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS…………………………………………………………………………………….................ix INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………………………… ……….............….1 Defining the Contradictions: Women’s/History/Month………………….…….…….5 CHAPTER I. THE EVOLUTION OF WOMEN’S HISTORY METHODOLOGY: WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH AS A STEP TOWARDS LEGITIMACY…………………………………………….10 Methodology and Women’s History: What is a Woman?.............................10 Becoming Strategic Agents of History…………………………………………………….….18 Amplifying Women’s Voices………………………………………………………………….…..35 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………...40 II. COALITION BUILDING: A BENEFICIAL FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH AND ACTIVISM…………………………………………………………………………………….…..42 The Women’s Action Alliance: Development of an Agenda……………………..…45 The Smithsonian Institution Women’s Council: Developing Public Programming…………………………………………………………………………………………..…54 Sarah Lawrence College Seminar on Women’s History, 1976: Developing Teaching Strategies……………………………………………………………......58 The Sarah Lawrence College Institute on Women’s History, 1979: Combining Coalitions with Women’s History………………………………………..……62 vi Table of Contents-Continued CHAPTER The Proposal of Women’s History Week(Month): Sisterhood Takes Charge……………………………………………………………………………………………72 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………….77 III. “EACH BRANCH A PLACE IN THE SUN:” COALITIONS COMPLICATED……………………79 Intervention in Public Spaces: Advocating Participatory Access………………………………………………………………………………………………………82 Diversified Experiences: The Effect of Personal Identities…………………………91 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………101 IV. LEGISLATING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: BENEFITS AND BACKLASH……………….103 Educational Equity Policy: “We Never Considered Its Effect”………………….106 Coordinating Women’s History Month Proposals with Legislative Efforts……………………………………………………………………………………115 The Reagan Administration Changes Everything……………………………………..122 A Backlash Stalls Progress……………………………………………………………………….136 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………143 V. WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH AS A PRACTICAL COMMODITY……………………………….145 The National Women’s History Project……………………………………………………147 Women’s History Month as a Commodity……………………………………………….153 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………….159 VI. WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH, REMEMBERED………………………………………………………164 vii Table of Contents-Continued CHAPTER Arguments and Assumptions of Early Memory Studies…………………………….165 Adding Gender to Memory Studies…………………………………………………………..173 Contemporary Practicalities of Memory Studies……………………………….………186 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………..192 VII. WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH AS COMMEMORATION…………………………………………..194 Using Feminist Theory to Transform History……………………………………………..195 Commemoration of Women’s History Month as Ritual and Symbol………….200 Commemoration Influence on Education………………………………………………….203 The Practical Challenges of Historical Memory………………………………………….208 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………213 CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………………………………...........………...218 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….224 viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ERA Equal Rights Amendment NWHP National Women’s History Project SPLC Southern Poverty Law Center UDC United Daughter of the Confederacy