Women’s History Month celebrates the contributions women have made to the United States and recognizes the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields.
Public Fresno State events include:
March 2-13: Fragments of Freedom Art Exhibition, sponsored by the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Fresno State Library (Pete P. Peters Ellipse Balcony). View the letters, political artwork, garments and theater workshop ephemera that trace the life of an immigrant rights and reproductive justice organizer fighting against deportation for over a decade. The exhibition also highlights work tied to an immersive theater performance by the same creator entitled “Yo Te Esperaba: An Abolition Story.” Photography and recording are not permitted due to the sensitive nature of the materials in this exhibition. Contact: Dr. Gloria Negrete-Lopez, negretelopez@csufresno.edu.
March 5: Talk and Conversation with citizen artist Dr. Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz on “Home Across Times: Octavia E. Butler and Living Practices of Belonging,” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Fresno State Library (Leon S. Peters Ellipse Gallery). A 2019 Kennedy Center Citizen Artist who moves between oral history, art, ritual and civic engagement, Tho-Biaz served as a 2023–24 Mellon Foundation Fellow at the Huntington Library, where her research with award-winning science fiction writer Octavia E. Butler’s archives continue to unfold.
March 6: “Wellness Giveaway,” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of The Bucket restaurant on campus. The Cross Cultural and Gender Center’s Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Programs and Services along with American Indian Programs and Services will be giving out limited edition self-care goody bags on women’s health. Students should follow @fresnostateccgc on Instagram and go to the booth in front of The Bucket to claim the prize.
March 6: “Sima’s Song” film screening, presented by CineCulture, at 5:30 p.m. in the Peters Educational Center Auditorium inside the Student Recreation Center. Directed by Roya Sadat, the first female director in post-Taliban Afghanistan, the film is a testament to the courage and loyalty of Afghan women in the face of constant adversity. The film will be followed by a discussion with Sadat and actor/writer Aziz Dildar. Contact: Dr. Mary Husain, mhusain@csufresno.edu.
March 12: Fragments of Freedom Art Exhibition live script reading from “Yo Te Esperaba: An Abolition Story” and a guided exhibition tour, at 2 p.m. at the Fresno State Library (Pete E. Peters Ellipse Balcony). The exhibition and the performance reflect on the slow, often unseen labor of deportation defense work that thousands face and may include organizing, writing and fundraising, as well as the creative art process in conditions of uncertainty in Southwestern border states. Sponsored by the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department. Photography and recording are not permitted due to the sensitive nature of the materials in this performance and exhibition. Event registration link. Contact: Dr. Gloria Negrete-Lopez, negretelopez@csufresno.edu.
March 13: “Trifole” film screening, presented by CineCulture, at 5:15 p.m. in the Peters Educational Center Auditorium at the Student Recreation Center. Set against the earthly beauty of Piedmont’s autumn woods and the delirium of Alba’s centuries-old truffle fair, “Trifole,” by Italian Gabriele Fabbro, is a fantastical and profound adventure about family, tradition and finding one’s place in the world. Discussant: Dr. Andrea Polegato, associate professor of Italian studies. Contact: Dr. Mary Husain, mhusain@csufresno.edu.
March 19: Lunch and Learn: Artist Talk and Guided Tour, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. at the Fresno State Library (Leon S. Peters Ellipse Gallery). LGBTQ2+ Programs and Services, in collaboration with Casita Feliz and LGBTQ2+ Studies, with support from the LGBTQ+ Allies Faculty and Staff Network, presents an artist talk, moderated conversation and guided exhibit tour of “To See the Beauty of My People,” featuring new work by artist Jay Lynn Gomez. Gomez, the inaugural community-engaged artist-in-residence with LGBTQ2+ Programs and Services, is a nationally recognized artist whose work highlights immigration and the often “invisible” labor that sustains Los Angeles, as well as her reflections on navigating a new life. The exhibit runs March 19 to 27 and includes Fresno State student work, contributions from Central Valley community members and archival pieces from local queer and trans visionaries. Event registration link. Contact: ccgclgbtq@mail.fresnostate.edu.
(MEDIA NOTE: This event is not open to media, filming or photography.)
March 20: “The Waiting Room” film screening, presented by CineCulture, at 5:30 p.m. in the Peters Educational Center Auditorium at the Student Recreation Center. In the 1970s, Karen Sperling was one of a small handful of women writing, producing and directing feature films. She also performs in them. In a pioneering move, her second motion picture, “The Waiting Room” (1973), was the very first feature film delivered by an all-woman crew. This film purposefully blurs the line between dreams, fantasy and reality. What unfolds is an intimate, witty and unsettling web of relationships, with Sperling insightfully peering at gender roles across social institutions with a gaze strikingly relevant today. The film will be followed by a discussion with Sperling. Contact: Dr. Mary Husain, mhusain@csufresno.edu.
March 27: “Armenians, The Hidden Grandmothers” film screening, presented by CineCulture, at 5:30 p.m. in the Peters Education Center Auditorium at the Student Recreation Center. Alexandra promised her grandfather that she would search for the members of their family in Turkey, starting with a simple name, Shahimé, the sister he never met. Leaving Paris for Istanbul, Alexandra starts on a journey through time in search of the living. Contact: Dr. Mary Husain, mhusain@csufresno.edu.
