Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed March 2019 as Women’s History Month and Irish American Heritage Month. Women’s History Month recognizes and celebrates the contributions of women, while Irish American Heritage Month recognizes and celebrates the contributions and culture of people of Irish descent to our nation and society.
Proclamations for both months are linked above.
Following are selected related activities for both months. For UNC System Office staff, UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State also have calendars of Women’s History Month activities on their campuses.
Women’s History Month
East
March. Historic Edenton. Harriet Jacobs Walking Tours. The tour highlights the life of Harriet Jacobs and the maritime underground railroad that led to freedom. The program is aimed to the eighth-grade curriculum. Pre-registration required, call (252) 482-2637. March 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23. 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. $2.50.
March. Somerset Place, Creswell. The Women of Somerset Place Tour. The 60-minute tour introduces some of the remarkable women who lived at Somerset Plantation and focuses on the contributions of enslaved and free women to its development, infrastructure and maintenance. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. $3. Groups of 15 or more please call for reservations.
March. CSS Neuse Civil War Interpretive Center, Kinston. Women Making History is a traveling exhibit on display through March. The exhibit was organized by the N.C. Museum of History and the Museum of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City. Free.
March 10. Museum of the Cape Fear, Fayetteville. Hoop Skirts and Gunpowder: A Woman of the Fayetteville Arsenal. While men were off fighting battles during the Civil War, women were needed in factories, in this case rolling cartridges in an arsenal. Was the freedom worth the change from domestic work to a job outside the home? A one-woman show will bring this dilemma to life. 2 p.m. Free.
Piedmont
March 1-2. North Carolina Symphony, Raleigh. Brahms Symphony No. 2, featuring violinist Jinjoo Cho in the Korngold Violin Concerto. 8 p.m. Also Feb. 28 in Chapel Hill, 7:30 p.m. Prices vary.
March 2 and 6. N.C. Museum of History, Raleigh. History Hunters: Home Front WWII. Women kept the country running while men fought in WWII. Learn about plane spotting, factory work and rationing that became part of life for them. Ages 10-13. 11:15 a.m.
March 8–10. N.C. Museum of Art, Raleigh. Celebrate International Women’s Day with “Take Up Space: Women’s Weekend at the NCMA.” Featuring the Guerrilla Girls, movies, tours, art-making, workshops, a panel with the directors of the NCMA, Ackland Art Museum, and Nasher Museum of Art, and more. Full schedule and tickets at ncartmuseum.org/takeupspace.
March 9. N.C. Museum of History, Raleigh. Girls Scout Brownies: Making Games. Calling all Girl Scouts! Enjoy a fun filled day with friends working towards your Making Games badge. Must be accompanied by an adult. Register at nccoastalpines.org. 1 p.m. $10.
March 9. Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum, Sedalia. Ladies of Palmer Memorial Institute. Meet the powerhouses behind Palmer Memorial in its heyday as an elite educational institution, featuring director Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Alice Freeman Palmer, Maria Cole, Wilhelmia Crosson and more. Tours 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Groups of 20 or more, please call (336) 449-4846 to register. Free.
March 9. President James Polk, Pineville. Year of the Woman Lecture Series.Turning the Tables: Power in Domesticity. Explore the history of Southern foodways through recipes that have stood the test of time with food historian Joann Joy. Discover the Election Cake recipe for your next watch party. 10:30 a.m. Reservations required. Free.
March 16. Historic Stagville, Durham. Her Heart is Slowly Breaking: Stories of Stagville Women. Stories from the enslaved women of Stagville Plantation and the women who owned them during a new tour. This history will include information on violence and abuse and is unsuitable for young children. Reservations required; call 919-620-0120. 1 p.m. $5.
March 15 and 16, 8 p.m., also March 17 in Chapel Hill, 7:30 p.m. Prices vary. Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum, Sedalia. Women’s History Lunch: Celebrate Women in the Arts. Greensboro artist Sunny Gravely has exhibited in North Carolina, Georgia and New York, and will discuss arts in education. Poetry reading by N.C. Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green. Musical and dance performance by African Dance with Dandara. Tickets through Eventbrite until March 1. 11 a.m. $18. Call (336) 449-4846 for group prices.
March 15-16. North Carolina Symphony, Raleigh. Chopin & Mozart, featuring pianist Ingrid Fliter on the Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2. March 16 noon and 8 p.m.; March 16, 8 p.m. Also March 17 in Wilmington.
March 28. North Carolina Council for Women, Raleigh. Women’s History Month Celebration, featuring N.C. Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green March 28, 4 p.m. at the N.C. Museum of Art.
Mountains
March 24. Lake James State Park, Nebo. Sister Trek. A two-mile hike and talk about Rachel Carson and local women relevant to Lake James history. 2 p.m. Free.
Irish American Heritage Month
March 16: Raleigh St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival 10:00 downtown Raleigh
March 16: Charlotte St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Charlotte Goes Green Festival 11:00 uptown Charlotte
http://www.charlottestpatsday.com/
March 16: Emerald Isle St. Patrick’s Day Festival 10:00 Emerald Plantation Shopping Center