BFS Celebrates Women’s History Month

March marks the start of Women’s History Month, a time to honor the historical contributions of women in our society, and also the strength of women among us today. Here at Brooklyn Friends School, we want to honor the many different women in our communities who empower students and continue to represent the full spectrum of what it means to be a strong woman role model. The National Women’s History Alliance has designated the theme of “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.” We invite members of our community to sit with the query of “How can we make small changes today to contribute to a sustainable future of gender equity?” Guided by our Quaker SPICES and informed by our pillars of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging, Global Social Impact, and Wholeness and Well-being:

We invite you to pause and consider:

• How can I support the wholeness and well-being of the women in my community? 
• How can I challenge and interrogate my definition of a “woman’s” identity? 
• How can I make space for a global lens around how womanhood and femininity are understood outside of a US context?

The New York public library has various programs as well as books and learning opportunities to deepen our collective understanding about the importance of this month. You can find a link to that programming here. The Brooklyn Public Library is also hosting a Paint and Celebrate event in honor of Women’s History Month. More information can be found here.

We also wanted to highlight two very important affinity groups here at BFS! Young women of strength is our Middle School woman and gender non-conforming femme group where our middle school students are able to come together in collective strength and empowerment. Our Upper School feminist group is also a space where students are able to have real discussions about the implications of gender, gender expression, and pride in their gender identity. Our upper school feminist group will be leading a collection this month highlighting the importance of feminism, its history, and how we as a collective can continue to strengthen our values and allyship with all the women in our community. 

As we step into this month, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging encourages our community to pause and consider the many different historical contributions of women, as well as how we can uplift the current changemakers fighting for gender equity. We remind our community that sustainable social justice is not only in our big actions, but in the small choices we make everyday to push for a better future.