The Women’s History Community

The Women’s History Affinity Community is comprised of those who are interested in presenting and encouraging accurate, compelling, diverse, and often controversial women’s history. The affinity community encourages thoughtful scholarship, curriculum, interpretive content, public and educational programs, and shares best practices and strategies for including women’s history in sites and locations of all sizes. The group also strives to encourage and promote women’s leadership in the museum and historical fields.

The Women’s History Affinity Community was formalized in November 2014 after the AASLH Annual Meeting in St. Paul, Minnesota. It continues to grow and build a stronger community with its members. As the 2020 Centennial of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment approaches, the affinity community is focused on the creation of a 2020 Values Statement and other resources to provide information and guidance on the commemoration of this event for the field.

The Women’s History Affinity Community is overseen by a diverse committee of professionals who work with AASLH to accomplish the goals and expectations of the group.

Out of the Kitchen

When women’s stories are confined to kitchens or needlework exhibits, we miss opportunities to talk about their range of experiences. Our work promotes and exemplifies ways to better understand and interpret the past of half the human race: women and girls.

The Women’s History Affinity Community challenges ALL sites, not just those named for women, to strive for valuable inclusion of women’s history and experiences. Join the Women’s History Affinity Community and make a commitment to expand women’s stories into all sites and interpretation.

The Women’s History Affinity Community will work to:

Create, present, or foster Annual Meeting activities, keynote speakers, panels and sessions, and networking opportunities that share access to valuable scholarship; provide a forum for discussion of success/or not so successful stories; and highlight local organizations and sites in each Annual Meeting location.Disseminate information to the field through AASLH resources and other blog and listserv forums and similar organizations.

Provide a network that:

• Encourages individuals and organizations to collaborate on projects around themes relevant to national history such as anniversaries, celebrations, or history month.
• Fosters mentoring, professional development and strongly encourage young women to strive for leadership positions within their professional organizations.
• Connects new and updated research in the academic field to practitioners working in sites that interpret women’s history.