MARCH 2023
March is Women's History Month!
The theme of Women’s History Month 2023 is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” And so this month is an opportunity to reflect on the crucial role that women have played around the world in media, journalism, the creative and performing arts, narrative-centered activism, and many other walks of work that rely on Public Kinship to cross boundaries, find common ground, solve problems, and bring about change.
What to Do for Yourself
With this year’s focus on telling stories, you have an opportunity – maybe in your Reflection Journal – to simply think on your own about what it means to celebrate women’s history and achievements, about what that does mean to you, or what it could mean to you and those near to you. If there is a woman in your family or social or civic circle who has inspired you and others, worked for the common good, been a source of strength and storytelling, take a few moments this month to write about it, and perhaps to share it with these people. Maybe you would like to share it with us, as well.
What to Do with Others
Why not bring Women’s History Month into the other things we’re celebrating this month? You could:
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Commission a young artist to make a mural or collage of famous women for Youth Art Month (maybe focusing on great storytellers in poetry, film, or music);
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Make poetry by women the focus of your sharing of World Poetry Day (March 21);
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Introduce a young person to women poets on Read Across America Day (March 2).
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Mark International Women’s Day (March 8) by working with neighbors and friends to find local ways to support women in the workplace.
The Council for Art Education presents Youth Art Month 2023 – “Your Art Your Voice”! If there’s one thing we all need these days, it’s connection, and what better way to forge connections than by creating art yourself and helping encourage young people to do the same? Many communities are under-resourced when it comes to out-of-school creative opportunities, and the pandemic has made it even harder for many kids and their communities to access cultural enrichment resources like museums. We hope the Public Kinship Calendar and Reflection Journal will provide some ideas for what you can do to nurture the Artist in a young person you care about.
Here are some additional ideas . . . .
What to Do for Yourself
If you and your family, neighborhood, or town want to get involved in YAM, you can find out what's going on in your state.
What to Do with Others
Why not commission a work of art from a youth you know? It could be a family member, the child of a neighbor, a member of your congregation or civic group. Talk with them about what they’d like to create – a portrait of you? an abstract painting? a sculpture? Work with them to get the supplies they need . . . and let their imaginations do the rest! Then, hang it on your wall – or host your own little art show in your living room or community center! Many organizations do this on a big scale – but some are also great with the basics of why to show off community art and how you can get started!
March 2 – Read Across America
Hey! We want to know about what you are reading, and why, and to whom, and what you’re getting from your books! Post on the Public Kinship Think Tank’s Bookshelf! And you can also share your favorite books with us through the Public Kinship Resource Guide Google Form! We’d love to learn with you!
Read Across America is an initiative of the National Education Association to promote the love of reading in children…but really, we can all find our inner kid in a book, right? The NEA has plenty of resources great and small for yourself, your family, and your community to take advantage of this day of celebration – which can also be a day of commitment to learning together.
You can start with the NEA’s FAQ. It contains lots of suggestions about what you can do. Here are some of ours, to help you integrate reading into your 2023 practice of Public Kinship.
What to Do for Yourself
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The NEA has a monthly theme calendar for 2023. The books on it are geared toward children and young adults, but publishing for young people has never been more exciting, more inclusive, or more popular than it is today.
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You can also join the NEA’s Facebook page to engage with their community of readers, educators, and recommenders.
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But more than anything: read something you love, or something new. Read it out loud. Read it in public. Read it to a friend or a child.
What to Do with Others
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Remember National Library Lovers’ Month? How did you celebrate that? Do it again, with a new family member or friend! If you’ve found a book you like that your library doesn’t have, recommend they purchase it!
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Form a community book club – it’s the ultimate mix of reading, hospitality, and Public Kinship!
March 8 – International Women's Day
IWD celebrates the achievements of women around the world, with an emphasis on equity and change-making. The theme for IWD 2022 is #EmbraceEquality. IWD is an occasion to take Public Kinship global and to consider what you can do to help women in all fields learn to self-lead, make connections, and make their mark.
What to Do for Yourself
Sometimes learning about a problem is the first step toward a Public Kinship-focused journey. IWD’s own site has compelling stories about the need to #EmbraceEquality. Perhaps you see issues of gender inequality around you that you want to address, but don’t know where to start. We start with ourselves. What about gender equality speaks most to you? What values do you associate with it? How would you like to contribute to making it happen? And who in your own life would benefit from it? Then . . . .
What to Do with Others
There are many small ways to promote and support equity and success for women around the world, and closer to home:
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Support a women-owned business near you.
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Help tutor a young woman in a subject you love and want others to succeed in.
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Join an organization that supports the continuing education of women in fields like entrepreneurship, business, management, STEM, etc.
March 12 – Birthday of Andrew Young
Ambassador Andrew J. Young is a titan of the Civil Rights movement and of American democratic traditions – an advisor to Martin Luther King; Mayor of Atlanta and leader of its 1996 Summer Olympics bid; US Ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter; and founder and Chair of the Andrew Young Foundation. His dedication to Public Kinship as the bedrock of our social fabric spans decades, continents, languages, and the aspirations of peoples everywhere. Here are some ways you can honor his living legacy.
What to Do for Yourself
Andrew Young’s life and work cut across many areas that you can learn about on your Public Kinship journey. Why not dive into one of them?
What to Do with Others
Take action on these questions!
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What social justice issues move me? What organizations could I join that would help me get involved in the ways that best fit my talents and my community needs?
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Are there issues of food security in my own area? How can I learn more about that and what’s being done about it? You can start by visiting Feeding America.
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There are all kinds of ways to be an ambassador, from talking with folks about COVID resources to connecting senior citizens in your neighborhood to health providers. Contact your city or county government to find out how to get involved with these Public Kinship outreach efforts!
March 21 – World Poetry Day
On this day, give in to temptation
And enjoy a poem from a different nation!
There’s lots of resources, oodles of vids
And a million things you can do with kids!
For yourself you can write a rhyme
And then you can do it time after time
To tell the story of who you are,
Where you want to go, and how to get thar!
With others you can stand around and jam . . .
Or host a community poetry slam!
It’s all about being creative and free
And shaping a vision of how you can be!
