Voice:	The Missouri State Journal, a weekly program keeping you in touch with Missouri State University.
Nicki Donnelson:	This March, we celebrate Women's HERstory Month at Missouri State University. I'm Nicki Donnelson for the Missouri State Journal. And today, I have Matt Banks, coodinator of multi-cultural programs and LGBT student services at Missouri State University as well as Christina Gardner, a graduate assistant for that office as my guests. They are here to tell us about how Women's HERstory Month has changed and some of the issues that will be highlighted throughout the month.
Matt Banks:	The change happened when my supervisor Yvania in multi-cultural programs and I both came on. We had both been at previous institutions that did women's herstory over women's history, and a large reason that we decided we wanted to change the name was kind of in a way to center women in the discussion.
	So even though it's history, like playing on the word history over herstory and just allowing women and fem-identified people to come to the forefront so we can talk about their accomplishments, contributions and many of the struggles that those populations still face.
Christina G.:	I think it is also just a recognition of how women and fem-identifying people have been excluded from conversations about historical events and their stories and their input to various things that we think of being important on a global scale. Their stories aren't necessarily being told. So to make sure that those stories are being included the way we more largely think of history.
Nicki Donnelson:	As we all know #MeToo has brought so much attention to rape culture and sexual assault recently. It also highlights the burden of secrecy many women and fem-identifying individuals have lived under. So in planning for this month's events, the committee formed a panel specifically on the topic of #MeToo. Banks shares about how this movement influenced the committee's discussion as they planned.
Matt Banks:	Nationally, Women's HERstory month for this year is actually themed around And Nevertheless, She Persisted. So you see kind of this focus on women and activism and social change because often the conversations around those very movements have women ignored. So thinking about, we all know Cesar Chavez, but we don't necessarily all know Dolores Huerta.
	We all know Stonewall happened, but we don't know the roles of Miss Major, Sylvia Rivera or Marsha P. Johnson in those work. So #MeToo and kind of like where sprang up allowed us to more effectively show how women have contributed and changed different systems.
	So, yes, we're doing the event on #MeToo, but we're also doing a women in academia panel to look at how have women faculty influenced, not only here at Missouri State but nationally in higher education.
Nicki Donnelson:	Banks notes that each heritage month hosts a keynote address or event, and they are really excited to share One Drop of Love this March.
Matt Banks:	We're bringing in a show called One Drop of Love, which looks at one woman's experience being a multi-racial woman raised by a black mother with a white father who was a little bit distance. And the great thing about it is she uses the U.S. Census as a way to talk about the construction of race and her experiences as a black-identified, multi-racial woman.
Nicki Donnelson:	One Drop of Love will be shown on March 20 at 7 p.m. in the Plaster Student Union Theater, but there is so much more.
Christina G.:	We have a Giving Voice performance, which is a theater troupe on campus that uses what's called theater of the oppressed to create dialogue about certain events. So their forum that we're going to be using them specifically for this month is going to be focused on Title IX and what that looks like in the relationship between someone who may have experienced a sexual assault and them confiding in a staff member.
	We have an event that's going to be focused on women in the LGBTQ-plus community that is also being facilitated by one of our students as well as staff and faculty on campus.
Nicki Donnelson:	Banks shares about the Women of Distinction Awards that are returning to Missouri State's campus this year.
Matt Banks:	So we're really excited to be working with the Department of Gender Studies again and this year to give out awards to undergraduate, graduate and faculty and staff members who have had a significant contribution to both the Springfield and the MSU community. If you're looking for more information about the events, you can follow the Multi-Cultural Resource Center on Twitter @MOStateMRC.
Nicki Donnelson:	That was Matt Banks and Christina Gardner. I'm Nicki Donnelson for the Missouri State Journal.
Voice:	For more information, contact the office of University Communications at 417 836-6397. The Missouri State Journal is available online at ksmu.org