Belmont to celebrate Women’s History Month with series of virtual events

Women’s history month is about to take center stage at Belmont with a variety of virtual chapel events, as well as an art exhibit.

Heather Daugherty, university minister and member of Belmont’s Women’s History Month Committee, said in a press release the last year has shown women’s collective tenacity in the face of discrimination and opposition.

“Most of the time when a woman flourishes, she brings along with her an entire community,” said Daugherty.

“We wanted to have conversations that center women, that highlight their work and that inspire us to continue to live out their legacy of caring for those on the margins of our lives and society.”

Primarily consisting of chapel events, the program comes off as spiritually inclined — something Daugherty said is intentional.

“Our hope for our events is that students will celebrate the way that each of the women we highlight is being used by God and seek to find ways that God might be calling them to engage and transform the world around them.”

For students like journalism major Ashley Huffman, the events are impressive — even if the religious offerings could be more inclusive, she said.

“With the pandemic and everything going on, I feel like they’re doing a good job utilizing all the resources they can and finding a variety in speakers,” Huffman said. “But not everyone here is a Christian so everything shouldn’t be centered around it all the time.”

Huffman also said she was concerned the event was not being spread around all that much, and would pass without much fanfare.

“I didn’t even know about it until someone sent me the link,” she said.

Regardless of her concerns, though, Huffman said she looks forward to the events and thinks all students would be able to relate “to at least one of them.”

The schedule is below with descriptions from a university press release. Anyone can attend using the zoom links included on Belmont’s news site.

Wednesday, March 10 at 2 p.m.

CHAPEL: A Space for Love: Cultivating Community Among the Margins with Emily Mills

Emily Mills, founder and chief ideation officer of Jesus Said Love/Lovely Enterprises, will share her journey of working with survivors of sexual exploitation for the last 15 years and how they have determined the trajectory for JSL. Mills will weave together story and data compelling us to love radically, cultivate community among the margins and create a space for love big enough for every individual. Co-sponsored by the Women’s History Month Committee.

Wednesday, March 17 at 3 p.m.

Asian Christian Art: Matter + Spirit with Professor Suki Kwon and Dr. Rachel Smith

Suki Kwon is an artist who has lived and had her works exhibited in her native Korea, as well as Japan, China, England and the United States. She is assistant professor of design at the University of Dayton. Belmont University’s Leu Art Gallery features her work this semester in the exhibit “Matter + Spirit,” which is curated by Dr. Rachel Smith, Gilkison Distinguished Professor of Art History at Taylor University and artistic director for the Nagel Institute for World Christianity. Co-sponsored by the Watkins College of Art and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Asian Studies Program.

Wednesday, March 24 at 3:30 p.m

CHAPEL: From the Margins: The Origins of Christian Feminism

Feminism is often thought of in a negative context within the church. Dr. Du Mez will explore how it was often women on the margins who found in the Christian scriptures sources of empowerment and helped build a tradition of Christian feminism. Co-sponsored by the Women’s History Month Committee.

Thursday, March 25 at 3:15 p.m.

CHAPEL: Parable of the Brown Girl

Imago Dei, a theological term rooted in Genesis 1:27, says human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. While this is a fascinating concept, humans have struggled to conceptualize what it truly means as it relates to themselves as individuals and other humans and living creatures. Young Black girls, specifically, fail to receive the message that they, too, are made in the image of God. Their lived experiences are often overlooked, unseen and ignored rather than valued and heard. In this talk, Rev. Khristi Adams will magnify the struggles, dreams, wisdom and dignity of these voices and demonstrate how the narratives we most often ignore can teach us the most important lessons in life. Co-sponsored by the Women’s History Month Committee.