Women’s HERstory Month closes with block party celebration

The third annual Badass Women of ASU Block Party was presented March 29 at ASU’s Tempe campus and featured women-centered clubs, resources and celebrations of women trailblazers, past and present. The party was the culmination of Women’s HERstory Month (marking Women’s History Month, which is observed every March) events across ASU campuses, which featured education, wellness events, performances and more.

Nina Plunkett, a second-year student studying business law and supply-chain management, is the president of the ASU Women’s Coalition and was in charge of the event’s logistics. She said it’s important to highlight women’s history at ASU to recognize how far women have come but also how many barriers still exist.

“To me, Women’s HERstory Month is about celebrating women and recognizing the amazing accomplishments of all women,” said Plunkett. “HERstory Month also includes understanding and acknowledging that the road to success for many women is also a struggle, therefore we must also recognize the various issues women have and are still facing.”

During the month of March, the Women’s Coalition received 253 nominations on behalf of ASU women to be honored as Badass Women of ASU for their work in student organizations, sororities, in sustainability projects and more. Speakers at the block party included Deputy Vice President and Dean of Students Joanne Vogel and dietetics major Savannah White from the Alliance of Indigenous People, who performed a symbolic recognition of the land upon which the event was being held.

The 2019 ASU Badass Women of ASU Block Party

At the event, diverse student organizations, political groups and on-campus resources were featured while a women-centered playlist provided a lively soundtrack.

Savanna Soldevere, a senior psychology major at ASU, was at the event representing the Sexual and Relationship Violence Prevention Program. She primarily works on ASU’s Polytechnic campus and said she was happy to be at the event to empower women to stand up for themselves and others during Women’s HERstory Month.

“Women are finally having a voice in our community, especially here at ASU. I think that’s especially important because women are realizing our rights and what’s important to us,” she said.

Marissa Moore, a junior women and gender studies major and sustainability minor at ASU, holds several programming roles within the Women’s Coalition and enjoyed coordinating with participants, implementing the event with her peers, and then interacting with the ASU community and spreading the word about the Women’s Coalition. She said Women’s HERstory Month is an important time to elevate the discussions that the coalition is having year-round.

“For those of us who identify as women, this identity does not only exist during this month. It is something we live and interact with daily. Yet having a specific month to hold these discussions and celebrations is important to me because it draws more attention from a larger crowd,” she said. “Everyone can remember strong women and issues from the past, reflect on current issues, and hopefully feel passionate to continue working on gender equality.”