2015 National Women's History Month Theme - Weaving the Stories
of Women's Lives
March 1, 20T15 – Miami, Florida
By Winnie Tang
As we reflect on the numerous contributions women have made in shaping the history and legislation of the United States during Women's History Month in March, this year themed Weaving the Stories of Women's Lives. The theme presents the opportunity to weave women’s stories – individually and collectively – into the essential fabric of our nation’s history.
Below are March events for celebrating National Women History Month:
3/01/2015 (2 pm): Women’s History Month March 2015 Kickoff at the grave site of Julia Tuttle at Miami City Cemetery hosted by the Women’s History Coalition of Miami-Dade County, Inc., at 1800 NE 2 Avenue, Miami, FL. Parking is inside the cemetery. The Women’s History Coalition starts every March with this tribute to Julia Tuttle, the founder of the City of Miami. The featured speaker will be Penny Lambeth portraying Julia Tuttle. Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado will be in attendance. The ceremony will be followed by a tailgate picnic. For further information: Dolly MacIntyre at 305-460-0157 or [email protected].
3/5/2015 (6 pm – 9 pm): The 27th Annual In the Company of Women Awards Ceremony, hosted by the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade, Miami-Dade Commission for Women, and Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, at the Coral Gables Country Club, 990 Alhambra Circle, Coral Gables, FL. Presented by Macy’s, highlighting some of the most influential women in South Florida. Within 10 categories, honorees range from an editorial cartoonist whose illustrations challenged a corrupt government, to a prestigious doctor who for the past year has braved the Ebola front lines to treat those infected. Meet the women who’ve influenced progress within their respective fields, from Arts & Entertainment to Sports & Athletics.
These outstanding women will be honored for their contributions to the Miami-Dade County community. 2015 Winners: Mayor’s Pioneer Award — Sheila Duffy-Lehrman, Tropic Survival Advertising & Marketing, Arts & Entertainment — Kalyn Chapman James, Art Loft and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Business & Economics — Antoinette Patterson, One World Learning Center, Education & Research — Malou C. Harrison, Miami Dade College, North Campus, Government & Law (Elected) — Honorable Bertila Soto, Chief Judge, Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court, Government & Law (Non-Elected) — Iraida R. Mendez-Cartaya, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Health & Human Services — Aileen M. Marty, M.D., FACP, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Sports & Athletics — Dr. Janice Bell, St. Thomas University, Posthumous Award – Anne Mergen, Editorial Cartoonist, Community Spirit — Cassandra Theramene, Scholars Today, Leaders of Tomorrow, Inc. Tickets are $60 advance purchase, $65 at the door. For more information or for tickets, please visit https://www.miamidade.gov/parks/company-of-women.asp.
3/06/2015 (11:30 am): 12th International Women’s Day Awards Luncheon by World Trade Center Miami at Double Tree by Hilton Hotel – 711 NW 72 Avenue, Miami, FL 33126. Honorees: Mikki Canton, Mary Hernandez, Janet Jainarain, Sharyn Koenig, and Carole Ann Taylor. Speaker: Teri Griege, Author of Power by Hope” – Find Your Passion Dream Big – Anthing is Possible. Tickets: $50. For information: 305-871-7910 or [email protected].
3/07/2015 (7 pm): 22nd Annual Gala Celebrating Immigrants’ Contributions by Fanm Ayisym Nan Miyami / Haitian Women of Florida at Caribbean Marketplace – 5925 Ne 2 Avenue, Miami, FL 33137. Keynote Speaker: Jean Monestime, Chair of Miami-Dad County Commission. 2015 Distinguished Honorees: Representative Daphne D. Campbell, Father Reginald Jean-Mary, Tony Jeanthenor MS, Maria Rodriguez, and Marie Paule Woodson MS. Tickets: $100 and Table $1000. For information: 305-756-8050.
3/08/2015 (3 pm): Women of Impact XXVII Awards to celebrate Women’s History Month “Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives” by Women’s History Coalition of Miami-Dade County at Hyatt Regency Coral Gables – 50 Alhambra Plaza, Coral Gables, FL 33134. Honorees: Annabel Brewster, Judge Gill S. Freeman, Millie Herrera, JoAnn Roberts, Lucia Soria and Dr. Lenora Yates. Tickets: $50. For information: 305-255-4944 or [email protected].
3/12/2015 (8 – 9 am): MCSW Annual Breakfast event honoring distinguished women by Miami Commission on the Status of Women at Miami City Hall, 3500 Pan American Drive, on the City Manager’s Terrace. For information or RSVP by 3/4 at 305-416-1990 or [email protected].
3/12/2015 (9 am): After the breakfast, guests are encouraged to attend the protocol portion of the City Commission meeting where the honorees will be recognized with a commendation by the Mayor, respective City Commissioners, and the MCSW. For information or RSVP by 3/4 at 305-416-1990 or [email protected].
3/14/2015: Miami-Dade is Ready for Hillary 2016 event chaired by Daisy Black, Former Mayor of El Portal, Florida and President of the Democratic Women's Club of Miami Dade, and Aaron Darr, Regional Lead to the Millennial Council of Ready for Hillary. And Hosts: Daisy Baez, Jackie Colyer, Jacque Despinosse, Doyle Durando, Scott Herman, Andrew M. Korge, Daniel M. Mulieri, Pablo Nobre, Jonathan Oriole, Daniel Sohn, & Venghan "Winnie" Tang - Florida International University - Biscayne Bay Campus – Ballroom - 3000 NE 151 Street, Miami, FL 33181. Tickets: $20.16 and Host: $201.60. Special Guest: Senator Nan Rich, Former Florida State Senator and Democratic candidate for Governor, Daisy Baez, Former President of the Miami Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus and Democratic State House candidate, and Andrew M. Korge, Entrepreneur & New Leaders Council Board Member. For information: 305-753-8791 or RSVP: ReadyForHillary.com/events/Miami-March14.
3/31/2015 (7 pm): Florida Women of Achievement Film Series: Portraits of Inspiration the Power Nun, Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin at Miracle Theatre – 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables. Suggested Donation starting at: $25. For information: 305-661-6605 or www.floridawomenofachievement.
March Highlights in US Women’s History
March 1, 1978 – Women’s History Week is first observed in Sonoma County, California
March 1, 1987 – Congress passes a resolution designating March as Women’s History Month
March 4, 1917 – Jeannette Rankin (R-MT) took her seat as the first female member of Congress
March 8 – International Women’s Day, whose origins trace back to protests in the U.S. and Europe to honor and fight for the political rights for working women
March 11, 1993 – Janet Reno is confirmed as the first woman U.S. Attorney General
March 12, 1912 – Juliette Gordon Low assembled 18 girls together in Savannah, Georgia, for the first-ever Girl Scout meeting
March 13, 1986 – Susan Butcher won the first of 3 straight and 4 total Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Races in Alaska
March 17, 1910 – Camp Fire Girls is established as the first interracial, non-sectarian American organization for girls
March 20, 1852 – Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” is published and becomes the best-selling book of the 19th century
March 21, 1986 – Debi Thomas becomes first African American woman to win the World Figure Skating Championship
March 23, 1917 – Virginia Woolf establishes the Hogarth Press with her husband, Leonard Woolf
March 31, 1888 – The National Council of Women of the U.S. is organized by Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Julia Ward Howe, and Sojourner Truth, among others, the oldest non-sectarian women’s organization in the U.S.
March 31, 1776 – Abigail Adams writes to her husband John who is helping to frame the Declaration of Independence and cautions, “Remember the ladies…”
ASIAN EVENTS:
3/07 & 08/2015 (10 am - 5 pm): 25th Annual Asia Cultural Festival organized by the Thai-American Association of South Florida, held at Fruit & Spice Park - 24801 SW 187 Avenue, Homestead, Florida 33031. Presented in collaboration with the Miami-Dade County Asian American Advisory Board. Admission: $ 12 General entrance; $5 Children 6-12; Children under 6 FREE. Contact: 305-495-1207 or [email protected].
3/07/2015 (10 am – 4 pm): The second Miami International Symposium on Chinese Cinema & Its Application for Chinese Language and Cultural Education, as part of the programming for Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival hosted by the Confucius Institute at MDC North Campus - 11380 NW 27th Avenue, Building 2000, Room 2147, Miami, FL 33167. Featuring renowned speakers from China and the USA, the symposium will offer an invaluable platform for leaders in the Chinese, Latin American and American Film and cultural industries to network and exchange ideas. For educators, the symposium will highlight effective teaching methods and offer resources for teaching Chinese language and culture using Chinese films. The symposium will feature a “Spotlight on Asia” where there will be a screening of several outstanding films from Asia including China. TICKET:
$20. For information: [email protected]
3/07/2015 (7 pm): 2015 Miami International Film Festival - Uncle Victory (Chinese) - Florida Premiere, directed by Zhang Meng - MDC’S Tower Theater - -– 1508 SW 8 Street, Miami, FL Presented By Viendomovies (Theater 1). Solidifying director Zhang Meng’s position as an exhilarating talent in contemporary Chinese cinema, Uncle Victory (Jury Prize winner at the 2014 Shanghai Film Festival) adroitly employs droll humor and a pop aesthetic to explore a universal tale of a bad-guy finding redemption through the love and innocence of children. Set in the rural post-socialist empty lots and ruined factories of Northeast China, the film opens in a stylized tattoo parlor where we find Chan Shengli (Huang Haibo), a 40-something ex-con, lying facedown on a tattoo table. He’s determined to start his life over after ten years of incarceration for crippling a man during an argument over money. When the owner of a kindergarten operating out of Shengli’s theater defaults on the rent, Shengli decides to take over the management and schooling of minors with the help of Sun Xiaomei (Zhang Xinyi), a tough-as-nails pretty nurse he met in a shady nightclub. Creative marketing soon yields a healthy roster of kindergarten boarders, but educating young minds and settling scores from the past is going to prove a tricky balancing act.
3/07/2015 (7:30 pm): Elegant, sensual and captivating, the Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company melds ancient Chinese forms with modern dance in an artistic and inventive marriage of styles at Miramar Cultural Center / ArtsPark – 2400 Civic Center Place, Miramar, FL 33025. Tickets: $35, $40, $45. Box office: 954-602-4500 or MiramarCulturalCenter.org.
3/08/2015 (3 pm): The Butterfly Lovers – A Concert Celebrating the Life of Start Shih Tza Wu – Violin Concerto by Chen/He & Music from Taiwan at Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, University of Miami – 1314 Miller Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33146. Presented by the Greater Miami Youth Symphony. FREE Admission.
3/09/2015 (7 pm): 2015 Miami International Film Festival - Uncle Victory (Chinese) - Florida Premiere, directed by Zhang Meng – CINEPOLIS - 3015 Grand Ave, Coconut Grove, FL 33133.
3/13/2015 (7 pm): 2015 Miami International Film Festival - Someone ELSE (Korean American) - World Premiere, directed by Nelson Kim, at MDC’S Tower Theater – 1508 SW 8 Street, Miami, FL, Presented By Viendomovies (Theater 2). Two ferociously talented actors of Korean descent, Aaron Yoo (so brilliant in the Festival’s 2014 presentation of Kid Cannabis, and also known for memorable roles in Disturbia, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and The CW’s “The Tomorrow People”) and Leonardo Nam (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) get the complex, brilliantly-written leading roles they deserve in Nelson Kim’s debut feature film, Someone Else. Yoo plays Jamie, a straight-laced “country mouse” business student who is all work and no play, who comes to stay temporarily with his bright lights, big city cousin Will (Nam). An extroverted playboy-type, Will tries to bring out the painfully shy Jamie – the results of which have entirely unexpected results in the psychological warfare department. Tensions between the two cousins – the result of a long unresolved incident between their fathers – boil up, and Jamie’s sense of his own identity undergoes some perilously fraught shifts. Nelson Kim’s brilliant understanding of genre paradigms takes the traditional country mouse/city mouse fable into both viscerally and cerebrally shocking new territory. – Jaie Laplante
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