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Where are the Women? Summit
February 13, 2021 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Unladylike2020 examines why women have such limited presence in the history and social studies curricula taught in U.S. classrooms
Producers of the women’s history documentary series and supporting curriculum convene the “Where Are the Women?” virtual summit in collaboration with PBS LearningMedia and national education partners on Saturday, February 13, 2021
The makers of Unladylike2020 are convening the Where Are the Women? Summit, in collaboration with PBS LearningMedia (PBS’s free online learning platform), and in partnership with PBS’s flagship biography series American Masters, WNET, National Women’s History Museum, National Council for the Social Studies, National Council for History Education, National Women’s Hall of Fame, and National Women’s History Alliance, to investigate why women are vastly underrepresented in U.S. history and social studies curriculum. The Where Are the Women? Summit will also provide teachers and parents access to the educational support they need to reverse this trend, so that the accomplishments of trailblazing women who have contributed to shaping the exercise of democracy in the U.S. are included in history books, and are taught in social studies classes. The 2-hour Where Are the Women? Summit will convene on YouTube Live at youtube.com/AmericanMastersPBS on Saturday, February 13, 2021, from 1pm-3pm EST, 12pm-2pm CST, 11am-1pm MST, and 10am-12pm PST.
The event will feature a poetry recitation and land acknowledgment by the U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo; a keynote address by renowned cultural historian, the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor and Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University, Martha S. Jones; and video testimonials from diverse women thought leaders, including: Marley Dias, founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks; Isa Noyola, Co-President of the Women’s March Board and Deputy Director at Mijente, the fastest growing English language social-network for the Latinx community; Debra Sanchez, Senior Vice President of Education and Children’s Content at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Stefanie Wager, President of the National Council of the Social Studies; and Teresa C. Younger, President and CEO of the Ms. Foundation for Women. The summit will include a dynamic panel discussion and live chat audience Q&A with social studies teachers, historians, textbook authors, curriculum policy leaders, and youth advocates, to examine the factors that have limited the presence of women in textbooks, educational standards, and curriculum, as well as efforts to ensure that the role of women as history-makers and agents of change is taught, and is historically accurate and equitable. As part of the event, PBS Digital Innovator All-Star high school teachers will demonstrate, and answer audience questions about, their creation and implementation of the Unladylike2020 collection on PBS LearningMedia, lesson plans and curriculum that represent the accomplishments of women in history, and are tailor-made for virtual, in-person, and hybrid learning.
Winners of the My Hero Project’s 2020 Women Transforming Media Award, Unladylike2020 Executive Producers Sandra Rattley and Charlotte Mangin, were inspired to stage this national conversation after reading a National Women’s History Museum research report that analyzed K – 12 social studies standards for the 50 states and Washington, D.C. The findings published in the Where are the Women? report said that, out of 737 historical figures taught in the standard curriculum, just 178, or 24% are women, including several fictional characters. 98 of the women appear in only 1 state standard; only 15 are taught in more than 10 states. Mangin states, “The mission of the Unladylike2020 series was to expand how history is taught and understood across the country. We hope this summit will help activate significant educational change and provide long-overdue recognition of women’s contributions to U.S. history.” Rattley adds, “It’s encouraging that so many national educational organizations have embraced this cause as a part of their efforts to ensure equal and accurate representation of diverse history makers.” Director of Education at the National Women’s History Museum, Lori Ann Terjesen, will provide a summary brief of the museum’s Where are the Women? research report at the summit.
The Where Are the Women? summit is free and open to the public. Teachers who participate will receive a 2-hour professional development credit for their attendance, and all participants will get a free women’s history resource guide as a takeaway. The Unladylike2020 Where Are the Women? Summit is made possible by funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
For more information:
unladylike2020.com/where-are-the-women/
youtube.com/AmericanMastersPBS
@unladylike2020
#WhereAreTheWomen
@AmericanMasters
#Unladylike2020PBS
The “Where Are the Women?” Summit is Presented By
