A Look Back at Women’s History Month with HPNE
As March comes to a close, we reflect on the events and professionals we highlighted throughout March.
Celebrated for the first time in 1987 due to the petitioning efforts of the National Women’s History Project, National Women’s History Month is now celebrated annually in March.
So what is Women’s History Month? The month was spearheaded by the efforts of the suffragettes and feminists in the 1970’s who desired better historical records of the contributions of women in history museums, school curriculums, and more. Efforts were also made to solidify equal opportunities and rights for women – did you know that a woman could not open a credit card in her own name until 1974?
Throughout March, we have celebrated Women’s History Month in a variety of ways. Our month began with a Women’s Luncheon catered by local female-owned restaurant Blackie’s. During the luncheon, our female identifying employees celebrated International Women's Day (IWD) by wearing purple, talking about their shared experiences, and were ultimately able to #EmbraceEquity, this years theme for IWD.
From there, we launched content pieces exploring and highlighting industry professionals who are shaping the face of the biopharmaceutical industry and those on our team who are helping to drive and develop #TeamHPNE’s next chapter.
Finally, Women’s History Month was a time where we encouraged employees to reflect on the challenges faced by women in our own communities, and ways we could offer our support.
In partnership with Sojourner House, we kicked off the month by setting out collection bins on International Women’s Day. Sojourner House is located in Providence, Rhode Island and provides shelter and support services to women who are victims of domestic and sexual violence. They aim to educate local residents on domestic violence in hopes of prevention, and also hold support groups for victims. Ultimately, they promote non-violent methods of conflict resolution, and provide a safe space for women to recover from abuse while feeling supported by others in the community. Bins were left out for the entire month to collect supplies and additional donations of gift cards to support the women. For additional women-owned businesses to support in Rhode Island, visit Rhode Island Monthly’s list.
HPNE would also like to highlight an organization making a difference for women in Cambridge, another meaningful community for us.
The Cambridge Women’s Shelter was founded in 1971 and offers free services in a digital and physical community space to any individuals who identify with or have had the lived experience of a woman. Services provided by the center include drop-in day center programs, in-person emotional support, information resources regarding legal services, housing and employment, material assistance, and free classes, workshops and groups.
For more ways to support women in Cambridge, visit the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce women-owned directory, and for opportunities to support women-owned businesses in Boston, visit the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Directory.
For more information on the origins of National Women’s History Month, visit https://womenshistorymonth.gov/about/.
Modern history has, and continues to leave out large portions of our society by neglecting to represent countless communities even though an important part of creating an empathetic and accepting society is representation. At HPNE, we believe that the culture and viewpoints within our company reflect those of the diverse world around us and represent every community equally, making it imperative that we recognize National Women’s History Month
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About HPNE
As the industry needs grow, High Purity New England, Inc. continues to supply the biopharmaceutical industry with a range of innovative products, from drug discovery and development to fill-finish, including their flagship product, custom single-use assemblies, as well as pumps, sensors, bioreactor systems, storage and handling solutions and other single-use solutions. Along with their own manufactured products for the global market, they are also a distributor for more than 18 brands in North America.