Mark your calendars. Cal State LA is commemorating Women’s History Month in March with a library exhibit featuring influential women authors, talks, poetry and spoken word performances, a math program, a classic play, and more.

The University Library will display literature for and by women at the second-floor Reading Lounge through the end of the month. Among the books on display are ones that Cal State LA President Berenecea Johnson Eanes identified as the most influential in her life.

“My favorite books forged me into the person that I am,” President Eanes said. “The authors’ brilliant prose sparked my imagination, fed my desire to learn, and defined my beliefs. Reading transported me to faraway places that expanded my understanding of the world, teaching me empathy and compassion while increasing my sense of belonging. These books defined me.”

Her choices included the novels The Color Purple (1982) by Alice Walker and Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) by Zora Neale Hurston, the leadership book Unapologetically Ambitious: Take Risks, Break Barriers, and Create Success on Your Terms (2020) by Shellye Archambeau, and the non-fiction Isn’t Her Grace Amazing!: The Women Who Changed Gospel Music (2022) by Cheryl Wills. She also named playwright and author J. California Cooper among her favorite writers.

The University Library will host an opening reception for the exhibit on Wednesday, March 5, from 3:45 to 5 p.m.

Women’s History Month is a legally declared celebration in the United States and around the world of the contributions of women to history, culture, and society. In 1987, Congress designated March as Women’s History Month. Women’s History Week had previously been celebrated, starting in the early 1980s.

The Cal State LA commemoration will also include the third annual installment of “Agitate, Educate, Organize” series as presented by the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; the “Reclaiming Our Space” poetry, spoken word, and music program; a brunch and panel to celebrate Latina identities; a talk by Gay Liberation Front leader Carolyn Weathers; the Women in Mathematics program; and the play “The Good Person of Setzuan,” which explores how society exploits women and the challenges of being a person in a corrupt world.

For more information, visit our Women’s History Month page.

Women’s History Month Calendar of Events

• March 1-31: Women’s History Month Book Display, University Library
• March 5: Opening Reception for the Library Exhibit, University Library Reading Lounge, 3:45-5 p.m.
• March 5: Legacies of Second Wave Lesbian Feminism: From the Lesbian Tide to the Lesbian Avengers, Music Building, room 108, 1:40-2:55 p.m.
• March 6: Reclaiming Our Space: International Women’s Day, University-Student Union, San Gabriel Room, 3-6 p.m.
• March 12: Floreciendo Juntas: A Latin Brunch Celebration, University-Student Union, Los Angeles Rooms, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
• March 18: Art, Feminism, and Ecology in Latin America and the Caribbean, King Hall C4075, 1:40-2:55 p.m.
• March 19: Gay Liberation Front and the Biltmore Invasion: A Discussion with Carolyn Weathers, Music Building, room 108, 1:40-2:55 p.m.
• March 22: Women in Mathematics, La Kretz Hall, 10 a.m.-noon
• March 20-29: “The Good Person of Setzuan,” Intimate Theatre at The Luckman, March 20-22, 7:30 p.m.; March 23, 2:30 p.m.; March 26-29, 7:30 p.m.

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California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 24,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.