EIU Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at EIU presents

Women’s History & Awareness Month 2026

Honoring Her History, Shaping Our Tomorrow

Each year in March, the Women's, Gender, & Sexuality Studies Program at Eastern Illinois University hosts one of the biggest annual events on campus, Women's History and Awareness Month (WHAM).  Events include featured speakers, musicians, the Central Illinois Feminist Film Festival, and the WGSS Awards Ceremony. 

Enter the WHAM Essay Contest

Submit a Nomination for the Feminist of Artistic Vision at EIU (FAVE) Award (Click here for criteria)

EVENTS

March 2 FLAG RAISING on the QUAD, 4pm

March 4 PRE-MODERN GLOBAL STUDIES DAY with special guest speaker Dr. ELEONORA STOPPINO

ROUNDTABLE WITH DR. STOPPINO & EIU COMMUNITY IN BOOTH LIBRARY CSI , 3PM

"THE WARRIOR WOMAN: NEGOTIATING GENDER AND POWER IN THE EARLY MODERN WORLD" LECTURE IN DOUDNA LECTURE HALL, 5PM

March 24 ONLINE DEBUT of the 2026 Winners of the Central Illinois Feminist Film Festival

Films will be made available to view HERE

March 25 WHAM KEYNOTE ADDRESS and AWARDS CEREMONY with special guest Dr. M.J. RYMSZA-PAWLOWSKA

"ON NATIONAL COMMEMORATIONS : THE BICENTENNIAL, THE SEMIQUINCENTENNIAL, AND WHAT WE CAN LEARN ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE PAST" - LECTURE IN DOUDNA LECTURE HALL, 5:30PM

WOMEN'S, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY STUDIES AWARDS CEREMONY RECEPTION WITH LIGHT REFRESHMENTS TO FOLLOW IN DOUDNA CONCOURSE, 6:30PM

April 16-19 - "A DOLL'S HOUSE" - Doudna Black Box Theatre, Directed by Anne Thibault-Geen

APRIL 16 AT 7:30 PM

APRIL 17 AT 7:30 PM

APRIL 18 AT 7:30 PM

APRIL 19 AT 2:00 PM

SPONSORS FOR THESE EVENTS INCLUDE:

THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT,

THE OFFICE OF THE PROVOST,

THE COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES,

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY,

DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE,

DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY AND CRIMINOLOGY, DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH,

AND LATIN AMERICAN AND LATINX STUDIES.