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Feminism: The Second Wave

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Founded in 1996, the National Women’s History Museum (NWHM) is an innovative museum dedicated to uncovering, interpreting, and celebrating women’s diverse contributions to society. A renowned leader in women’s history education, the Museum brings to life the countless untold stories of women throughout history, and serves as a space for all to inspire, experience, collaborate, and amplify women’s impact—past, present, and future. We strive to fundamentally change the way women and girls see their potential and power. NWHM fills in major omissions of women in history books and K-12 education, providing scholarly content and educational programming for teachers, students, and parents. We reach more than five million visitors each year through our online content and education programming and, in March 2023, mounted our first physical exhibit at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in downtown Washington, DC, "We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC."
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Each time a girl opens a book and reads a womanless history, she learns she is worth less.

Myra Pollack Sadker
Professor, Author, Researcher, and Activist

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Storming Caesars Palace Screening and Community Conversation

Storming Caesars Palace celebrates the legacy of Black women leaders in historic movements for civil rights and economic justice. The film’s impact campaign fosters dialogue around efforts to create a thriving care economy, protect low-wage workers, empower children and families, and counter cultural erasure. Join us to uplift the intergenerational contributions of BIPOC and women-led organizations working to secure dignity for all citizens in DC.

 

Learn more and register here.

Featured Biographies for May

The “godmother of women’s history,” Gerda Lerner, was dissatisfied with learning about “a world in which women don’t exist,” while in graduate school at Colombia University in the 1960s. She decided to specialize in women’s history, even though it was not a recognized field within the discipline. Despite departmental objections, Lerner wrote her dissertation about the Grimké sisters, completing her doctorate in 1966. She published the dissertation, The Grimké Sisters from South Carolina: Rebels Against Slavery, in 1967.   

Learn more about Jewish women’s experiences throughout US history in this month’s featured biographies. 

 

Use the NWHM’s compendium of online biographies to spark curiosity and dig deeper into women’s impact throughout our shared national history. Explore more here. 

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If we want our girls to benefit from the courage and wisdom of the women before them, we have to share the stories.

Shireen Dodson

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Students and Educators

Discover our educational resources. Find lesson plans, biographies, posters, timelines, videos, and more on a wide variety of women's history topics. 

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Museum News

Blue W logo

National Women's History Museum Joins Women’s Suffrage National Monument Foundation’s Historic Partnership Coalition

NWHM among 35 National Partners representing over 3 million women
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Close-up image of Muse Award statue - woman wearing blue and gold dress with right hand on her face and left hand on her neck, set against a light gold background.

NWHM and Collaborative Partner Tessellate Win Three 2024 MUSE Creative Awards for "Black Feminist DC"

The exhibit was recognized with three silver awards for Exhibition Experience, Community, and Diversity and Inclusion.
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Close-up image of Muse Award statue - woman wearing blue and gold dress with right hand on her face and left hand on her neck, set against a light gold background.

NWHM and Collaborative Partner Blue Telescope Named 2023 Gold Winner Recipient of the Muse Award for Experiential & Immersive Exhibition Experience for "Black Feminist DC"

The award, which recognizes technological innovation, follows in the Museum’s tradition of utilizing cutting-edge technology and creating digital experiences in the service of women’s history learning.
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Storming Caesars Palace Screening and Community Conversation

Screening and Community Conversation

Join us on May 9 at the MLK Library in Washington, DC for a special screening of the award-winning film, Storming Caesars Palace, followed by a discussion with filmmaker Hazel Gurland-Pooler; Ruby Duncan’s daughter, Sondra Phillips-Gilbert; and more.

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We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC

Now Open at the MLK Library in Washington, DC!

NWHM's award-winning exhibition, We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, traces Black feminism in Washington, DC from the turn of the 20th century through the civil rights and Black Power movements to today.

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Upcoming Events

2024-05-09

Storming Caesars Palace Screening and Community Conversation

Attend a special screening and discussion on the film Storming Caesars Palace at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
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2024-06-08

Historic Change: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker

Join NWHM and the U.S. Mint in Oswego, NY to celebrate Dr. Mary Edwards Walker and commemorate the release of the 2024 Dr. Mary Edwards Walker quarter, the 13th coin to be released in the U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters™ Program.
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2024-07-11

Virtual Workshop for Educators, Women’s History Documented: Building Curriculum using Primary Sources

Learn about developing women’s history curriculum for K-12 students in a variety of subject matters using strategies such as Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) and historical empathy.
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