Purdue march, rally marks 100th anniversary of women's march

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Dozens of Purdue campus groups are expected to participate in a Friday (March 22) march and rally at the university to celebrate Women's History Month and the 100th anniversary of the women's movement.

The public is invited to watch the march and to join the rally following the event around 12:15 p.m. at the France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center. The delegations, which are preregistered, will leave the sports center at 11 a.m. to march on sidewalks through campus. The route includes Stadium Avenue, Stadium Mall Drive, Centennial Mall, and First, University and Third streets. They will return to the center for a rally that will feature speeches and musical performances. More event information is available at http://www.cla.purdue.edu/womens-studies/

The Purdue event is timed to recognize the 100th anniversary of the March 3 women's march in Washington, D.C., said T.J. Boisseau, director of Women's Studies and associate professor of history. During the 1913 event more than 5,000 women and their allies marched in support of a constitutional amendment to grant women the right to vote. The Purdue event also is recognizing a century of public action and social movements.

"The timing is to mark the historic campaign to grant women suffrage, but each of the registered delegations is encouraged to promote the themes and causes, such as social justice, equal rights and the environment, that are important to them," Boisseau said. "It's a reflection of history and what challenges we face today. Many of our marchers will carry signs or wear costumes or sashes inspired by various movements during the last 100 years."

More information about the route, rally and related events is available at

* https://www.facebook.com/pages/March-at-Purdue/327959323982975?sk=info

* http://www.tumblr.com/blog/marchatpurdue

* https://twitter.com/MarchAtPurdue

The event is sponsored by the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Purdue Women Lead of the Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence, Butler Women's Archives, Department of History, Department of Political Science, Office of the Dean of Students and Office of Student Affairs.

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu