International Women's Day
International Women's Day is celebrated annually on March 8th.
The Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity (CSGGE) formally known as the Women and Gender in Global Perspectives Program (WGGP) and the Humanities Research Institute (HRI) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are co-hosted our nineth annual event, “12 Women Who Changed the World: Untold Stories” bringing together faculty, staff, students, and community members to recognize people who have made a difference in academia that took place on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
The event featured 12 speakers from across our university and community. Each speaker had 5 minutes to tell the story of a woman who made important
contributions to the scholarship, discipline and/or broader academic community life.
International Women's Day Celebration
March 4, 2026
Levis Faculty Center
International Women's Day Event Recording
Click link below for video:
SPEAKER LIST
Dr. Rummana Alam
Teaching Professor of Law, College of Law
Recognized woman: Dr. Rabia Bhuiyan, Pioneering lawyer, educator, and Minister of Social Welfare and Women Affairs in Bangladesh.
Dr. Luvell Anderson
Professor and Head, Department of Philosophy
Recognized woman: Geneva Smitherman, University Distinguished Professor Emerita of English and co-founder of the African American and African Studies doctoral program at Michigan State University.
Tammie Bouseman
Community Member and Retired Associate Director of Admissions, Office of Admissions and Records
Recognized woman: Louise Jones, Former Boss at Illinois Office of Admissions and Records.
Dr. Danita M. Brown Young
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Recognized woman: Dr. Theresa Ann Powell, former Vice President for Student Affairs at Temple University.
Gabi DalSanto
Student Body President
Recognized woman: Gabi DalSanto’s Mother
Victoria T. Fields
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Communication
Recognized woman: Mary Eliza Church Terrell, American civil rights activist, journalist, teacher and one of the first African American women to earn a college degree.
Dr. Luanne Mayorga
Assistant Chancellor for Strategic Programs and Partnerships, Illinois Human Resources
Recognized woman: Catherine Brewer Benson, first woman in the United States to graduate with a bachelor's degree Georgia Female College (Wesleyan College).
Dr. Susan Ogwal-Elisu
Academic Advisor, LAS Global Studies
Recognized woman: Mrs. Lucy Ocen, Grandmother
Dr. Eva Pomerantz
Director, Center for Social & Behavioral Science
Recognized woman: Renee Baillargeon, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emerita University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. Kevin Tan
Associate Dean, School of Social Work
Recognized woman: Rosa Lim Choo Hong, Mother
Dr. Angela S. Williams
Associate Director, Center for South Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
Recognized woman: Nance Legins-Costley, African American woman who took public stand for her own legal emancipation.
DeShawn Williams
Urbana Mayor
Recognized woman: Ms. Dondi Elaine Williams, Mother
Recommended Links:
Dr. Renee Baillargeon, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emerita University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Illinois Department of Psychology - Renee L Baillargeon
Renee Baillargeon – Infant Cognition Lab
Catherine Brewer Benson,first woman in the United States to graduate with a bachelor's degree Georgia Female College (Wesleyan College).
Wesleyan College – About Catherine Brewer Benson
Wesleyan College Archives - Catherine Brewer Benson
Dr. Rabia Bhuiyan, Pioneering lawyer, educator, and Minister of Social Welfare and Women Affairs in Bangladesh.
Dhaka Tribune – About Dr. Rabia Bhuiyan
Nance Legins-Costley, African American woman who took public stand for her own legal emancipation.
Illinois Public Media - Who Was Nance Legins-Costley?
The Randolph Society – About Nance Legins-Costley
Dr. Theresa Ann Powell, former Vice President for Student Affairs at Temple University.
Temple University – Remembering Theresa Ann Powell
Word Press - Student Affairs Women Lead
Dr. Geneva Smitherman, University Distinguished Professor Emerita of English and co-founder of the African American and African Studies doctoral program at Michigan State University.
Harper Collins Publishers – Black Talk by Geneva Smitherman
Mary Eliza Church Terrell, American civil rights activist, journalist, teacher and one of the first African American women to earn a college degree.
About | Because Her Story - Mary Church Terrell
National Women’s History Museum – Mary Church Terrell