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The 2022 Women’s History theme, “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” is both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.

Women as healers harken back to ancient times. Healing is the personal experience of transcending suffering and transforming it to wholeness. The gift of hope spreads light to the lives of others and reflects a belief in the unlimited possibilities of this and future generations. Together, healing and hope are essential fuels for our dreams and our recovery.

This year, in particular, we are reminded of the importance of healers and caregivers who are helping to promote and sustain hope for the future. The National Women's History Alliance encourages communities throughout the country to honor local women who bring and have historically brought these priceless gifts to their families, workplaces, and neighborhoods, sometimes at great sacrifice. These are the women who, as counselors and clerics, artists and teachers, doctors, nurses, mothers, and grandmothers listen, ease suffering, restore dignity, and make decisions for our general as well as our personal welfare.

Women have long advocated for compassionate treatments and new directions in public health and in women’s mental and physical health. Women have also historically led the way in mending divisions, healing wounds, and finding peaceful solutions. This timeless work, in so many ways and in addition to so many other tasks, has helped countless individuals in our communities recover and follow their dreams.

The 2022 theme proudly honors those who, in both public and private life, provide healing and promote hope for the betterment of all.

Women’s History will be celebrated all month long. Below is a list of events for March 1 through March 5. Stay up to date with this listing of events.

March 20-26

Sunday, March 20 | Tours of Women's History at UVA | noon-1 p.m. | Meet in the Lower East Oval Room of the Rotunda | Join the University Guide Service to explore a refreshed, critical, and intersectional understanding of the women who shaped the university. Details.

Sunday, March 20 | Yoga for Black and POC | 2-3 p.m. | Virtual | The Women’s Initiative | Registration Required | Experience how yoga can contribute to your healing and well-being. All Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are welcome in this class to practice restorative and yin yoga in a safe and nurturing setting. Each class focuses on postures accessible to all bodies, and all levels of experience, especially beginners.

Monday, March 21 | Why The Body Matters: Doing the Work of Transforming Conflict, Acting for Justice and Caregiving | 2-3 p.m. | Virtual | Registration Required | Katie Mansfield facilitates learning about trauma-sensitivity and resilience-building amidst conflict, stress, and adversity in multiple contexts.

Monday, March 21 | Dancing Resilience! Join the Movement! | Join the Dancing Resilience Facebook group for weekly activities.

Tuesday, March 22 | Ubuntu Healing Circle: An Emotional Lunch Break | noon-1 p.m. | Registration Required | Hosted by The Community Healing Network. Come heal and be rejuvenated.

Wednesday, March 23 | The 40 Day Soul Fast: Your Journey to Authentic Living | noon-1 p.m. | Virtual | Registration Required | Tap into your holistic well-being. Facilitated by Melody M. Pannell.

Wednesday, March 23 | Black Women Speak: Stories of Resilience and Radical Hope | 6-7:30 p.m. | Virtual | Registration Required | Join local community members, Bernadette Whitsett-Hammond, Marcha Howard, and Diane Brown Townes to hear their personal, transformative community stories of resilience and radical hope as they reflect on growing up in Charlottesville. In partnership with The Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center at UVA.

Thursday, March 24 | UVA Women in Leadership: The University Police Department | noon-1 p.m. | Virtual | Registration Required | Cortney Hawkins was named as the University Police Department's first diversity, equity, and inclusion manager, reflecting the department's commitment to peace and justice.

March 13-19

Monday, March 14 | Self-Directed Online Deep Dive: Women at UVA Health Historical Resource Guide

Monday, March 14 | Dancing Resilience! Join the Movement! | Join the Dancing Resilience Facebook Group for Weekly Activities! | Virtual | We dance with pain and hope. We dance toward equity, justice, and health. We acknowledge there is a long way to dance. Hard times require furious dancing. Come dance.

Tuesday, March 15 | BIPOC Women and Mental Health: A Roundtable Discussion | noon-1 p.m. | Virtual | Registration Required | Hear from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) women mental healthcare professionals as they address the unique issues, social disparities, and health inequities of mental health on BIPOC women. BIPOC mental health resources.

Wednesday, March 16 | The 40 Day Soul Fast: Your Journey to Authentic Living | noon-1 p.m. | Virtual | Registration Required | Tap into your holistic well-being. Facilitated by Melody M. Pannell.

Wednesday, March 16 | The Impact of Doulas on Black Maternal Health | 2-3 p.m. | Virtual | Registration Required | Presented by Lisa M. Brown and Doreen Bonnet. The mission of Birth Sisters of Charlottesville is to dismantle root causes of systemic maternal health disparities for Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) while denying race as a risk factor.

Thursday, March 17 | Waiting and Wading: Navigating the Waters of Grief | noon-1 p.m. | Registration Required | Presented by Dr. Jamie Eddy Chism, who has served as a hospice, hospital, and protest movement chaplain providing spiritual and emotional support to patients, families, staff, and members of the community for over 20 years. Watch Video

Friday, March 18 | Women in Data Science Charlottesville | noon-1 p.m. | Registration Required | Women in Data Science (WiDS) Charlottesville is an independent event organized by the UVA School of Data Science to coincide with the annual Global Women in Data Science Conference held at Stanford University and an estimated 150+ locations worldwide. All are welcome. Learn more.

March 6-12

Sunday, March 6 | Yoga for Black and POC (virtual) | The Women’s Initiative | Registration Required | Led by Ayanna Hall | Experience how yoga can contribute to your healing and well-being. All Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are welcome in this class to practice restorative and yin yoga in a safe and nurturing setting. Each class focuses on postures accessible to all bodies, and all levels of experience, especially beginners.

Monday, March 7 | The History of Women  at UVA | Self-directed online deep dive

Tuesday, March 8 |

• The 10th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Health System Awards Program | 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. | Join the virtual program
• Black Alumnae Authors Roundtable (virtual) | 2-3 p.m. | Registration Required | Join Black Alumni Weekend, the UVA Alumni Association’s Corner Book Club, and the Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center for a live, interactive discussion with Hidden Figures author Margot Lee Shetterly (Com '91), Black Was the Ink author Michelle Coles (Col '02), and This Boy We Made author Taylor Harris (Col '05). Moderated by Alice Griffin Professor of Literary Studies and Director of the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African American and African Studies at the University of Virginia, Dr. Deborah E. McDowell. Register to reserve your spot and submit panel questions.
• International Women’s Day: A Online Campaign | #BreakTheBias #UVAHealthIWD | A global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality. UVA Health invites everyone to share a post on social media showing your support of the IWD 2022 campaign theme: #BreakTheBias
  • Example: Here in the department of  ______ we commit to learn about implicit bias to combat gender inequities. #UVAHealthIWD #BreakTheBias

Wednesday, March 9 | The 40 Day Soul Fast: Your Journey to Authentic Living | noon-1 p.m. | Registration Required | Tap into your holistic well-being. Facilitated by Melody M. Pannell.

Thursday, March 10 | Care for the Caregivers | noon-1 p.m. | Registration Required | Throughout history, women all around the world have served as caregivers. Now more than ever through the experience of the pandemic, caregivers need to resource themselves with the tools to understand trauma stewardship, compassion fatigue, and stress management. Join this dialogue to learn how to better equip yourself for being a healthy and balanced caregiver. Facilitated by Melody M. Pannell

March 1-5

Tuesday, March  1 | Introduction to Our Women’s History Theme “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” and Upcoming Events | Noon-1 p.m. | Registration Required | Melody M. Pannell, Director of Diversity and Community Engagement

Wednesday, March 2 | The 40 Day Soul Fast | noon-1 p.m. | Registration Required | Facilitated by Melody M. Pannell

Thursday, March 3 | The Radical Self-Care Movement: Cultivating a Culture of Resistance, Resilience and Rest | noon-1 p.m. | Registration Required | Facilitated by Melody M. Pannell

Friday, March 4 | Black Women Speak: Understanding the Intersectionalities of Being a Medical Student at UVA Health | noon-1 p.m. | Registration Required | Hear from current students Kristian Welch, Jaina Lane, Frances Morales, and Nadine Michel

Saturday, March 5 | Community Conversations: Swords Into Plowshares | 3-4 p.m. (hybrid) | Jefferson School African American Heritage Center & Zoom | Registration Required | Dr. Andrea Douglas and Dr. Jalane Schmidt | Swords Into Plowshares is an innovative project to melt down the statue of Robert E. Lee that formerly stood in one of Charlottesville's public parks and use the bronze to make a new work of public art. Learn more.