The National Women's History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women's History Month. The 2023 theme is "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories." This theme recognizes "women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news, and social media." 

Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture, and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987. From Abigail Adams to Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks, the timeline of women’s history milestones stretches back to the founding of the U.S.

The actual celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history, and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens of schools, hundreds of students participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa.

A few years later, the idea caught on within communities, school districts, and organizations across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March.

Whereas American women of every race, class and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways;

Whereas American women have played and continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life of the Nation by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working inside and outside of the home;

Whereas American women have played a unique role throughout the history of the Nation by providing the majority of the volunteer labor force of the Nation;

Whereas American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural institutions in our Nation;

Whereas American women of every race, class, and ethnic background served as early leaders at the forefront of every major progressive social change movement.

Whereas American women have served our country courageously in the military;

Whereas American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and other movements, especially the peace movement, which create a more fair and just society for all; and

Whereas despite these contributions, the role of American women in history has been consistently overlooked and undervalued, in the literature, teaching, and study of American history.

Ways to Observe Women’s History Month in Chicago

https://www.choosechicago.com/blog/architecture-history/womens-history-month-in-chicago/

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/celebrating-chicago-diversity/home/womens-history-month.html

https://www.lincolnsquare.org/womens-history-month

Information sourced from:

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/womens-history-month

https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/#

Mark your calendar, Industry Xchange is coming soon!

MPI-CAC is pleased to announce IX 2023, taking place on March 30, 2023 at Convene Chicago Willis Tower.

Join your fellow Chicago meetings and events industry professionals to celebrate Global Meeting Industry Day at IX 2023. Supported by members of Association Forum, PCMA GMC, SITE Chicago, Destination Reps, ILEA Chicago, IAEE Midwest, NACE, CEC, EDPA Midwest, and HSMAI Chicago, IX 2023 will highlight trends of our industry through thought-provoking keynote, panel and lively networking opportunities.

Register here!

Hello Members & Chapter Leaders, 

We are nearing our final quarter of the MPI-CAC fiscal year, yet we still have so much to look forward to. I hope to see everyone at the Industry Xchange event at Convene in Willis Tower on March 30. We have some fantastic programming planned and I look forward to networking with colleagues across all industry organizations in Chicago. The industry collaboration makes this a one-of-a-kind annual event!  

We also have our much-awaited Annual Awards and Recognition Event on May 17, which will be held at Venue West. This is my favorite night of the year as it is all about honoring our hard-working volunteers – and this year the awards committee have outdone themselves. If you have been nominated for an award, please complete your application by the deadline of March 20th so we can celebrate YOU.

Warning – do not forget to save the date for our Golf Classic event happening on June 5 at the incredible Ravinia Green Country Club. This year’s event is already generating a lot of buzz and should not be missed!

Finally, a big thank you to all our members, whether you are new, a chapter veteran, or somewhere in between, for your volunteerism and engagement. This has been a year of regrowth and rejuvenation that couldn’t have been possible without all of you. Sincere and heartfelt appreciation to all who have worked hard and have given so much of their time for our beloved chapter this year.

Thank you!

Heather

Congratulations to Sean Thorndike with PC Events & Experiences, our January 2023 Spotlight Award Winner! Sean has been recognized for his outstanding work on the PDC/Sponsorship Committee and his work as the Holiday Party Liaison.

Sean began his committee work after being awarded the MPI Membership Grant, which includes serving on a committee. Sean moved to Chicago in 2017. At the time, he was friends with Ryan Campbell who was co-chairing MPI’s Holiday Event. Sean offered to help with set up or wherever he was needed. It was such a fun experience and he met so many MPI members, many of which are still friends today.

You can connect with Sean with his LinkedIn Profile, or on his Instagram profile @seanthorndike.

Want to know how you can earn a Spotlight Award? Join one of our committees and volunteer with the chapter! Check out this link to learn how you can get involved!