Rogue Valley, Oregon women were roused to action in the 1970s, spurred by national events and cultural transitions to organize social services that protected families and enabled women. Women were recognized as powerful change agents and gained the confidence to speak out about injustice, inequality and sexuality. Women listened and women acted, establishing Women in Transition in Ashland, Oregon at Southern Oregon University, Dunn House, the Jackson County Sexual Assault Response Team and many other agencies and services. Women wrote poetry, created art and some asserted themselves, with pride and confidence, as lesbian. Over the next 20-30 years, a generation of women created social systems and a cultural environment that sheltered and gave new opportunities to women, a movement that celebrated women, welcomed change and gave rise to a broader acceptance of gender diversity.

This project organizes a series of 2020 events in March 2020 that celebrate Women’s History Month, the Year of the Woman and the centennial of women’s suffrage. These events – a women’s art exhibit, an evening of spoken word and performance and a day of history – serve to launch and propel a community documentation project that is centered on the Rogue Valley Women’s Movement of the 1970s through the 1990s, the Stories of Southern Oregon Women.

Documenting the Rogue Valley Women’s Movement, thanks to funding from the Oregon Heritage Commission and the support of Jackson County Library Services, AAUW Ashland and Southern Oregon University.

Women’s History Month 2020, Events in Ashland and Medford, Oregon

Please note that as of March 7, 2020 most if not all of these events have been cancelled or postponed indefinitely due to public health concerns. Contact the host agency for more information

Curious about what’s going on in Oregon’s Rogue Valley for Women’s History Month? Well, get ready because there’s events everywhere, nearly every day! Here’s a sampling with link backs to organizers. Know of more women’s events in March 2020?