March 11, 2005

For more information, contact: Bobby King – (901) 333-4247 / Kimberly Stark – (901) 333-4023/ (901) 489-4771

SOUTHWEST’S PREP ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH SERIES
Written by Bobby King

March is Women’s History Month, and Southwest Tennessee Community College’s (Southwest’s) PREP (Professional Re-entry Education Program) has announced the calendar for its Women’s History Month Series.

Weekly events will be held Wednesdays on the Macon Cove Campus of Southwest. Wednesday, March 16 there will be a Women’s History Month welcome, featuring Sharon Taylor McKinney, enterprise specialist for the Business Economic and Research Office (BERO). The program will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Farris, Rooms A and B on the Macon Cove Campus.

A “Read-In” will be held Wednesday, March 23 from 1 – 2:30 p.m. in Farris, Room A. Finally, the Women’s History Month Culmination Program will feature Lauren Howard, acting executive director for the Tennessee Economic Council on Women, Wednesday, March 30 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. Refreshments and door prizes for the programs have been sponsored by PREP Alumni.

This year's theme, "Women Change America", celebrates and honors the role of American women in transforming our culture, history, and politics. "Women Change America" also recognizes the 85th anniversary of women in the United States winning the right to vote.

In 1980, President Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation calling on the American people to remember the contributions of women. By 1987, fourteen governors had declared March as Women's History Month, and that same year, Congress and the President followed by declaring March as National Women's History Month.

This March, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the multicultural women's history movement. Designated by Joint Resolutions of the House and Senate and Proclamations by five American Presidents, March has become a huge opportunity for the nation to recognize women as a force in history.