As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Oklahoma History Center is proud to offer a virtual portal to Smithsonian programming celebrating Women’s History Month. These programs are part of Because of Her Story, a series of Smithsonian Affiliations’ Virtual Scholar Talks highlighting Women’s History Month, as well as discussing the Smithsonian’s latest book, “Smithsonian American Women.” The events are free to watch on Zoom, but preregistration is required. Links to register for each of these events can be found at www. okhistory.org/historycenter/ classes. The programs and dates offered are as follows:

“African American Women’s Activism in Historical Perspective,” Wednesday, March 3, 6 p.m. CST: This program will highlight objects related to African American women’s history in the Smithsonian collections, focusing on African American women’s activism and contributions in historical perspective. Each speaker will explore an interesting aspect of African American women’s activism through an extended discussion of one or two objects. Featured speakers for this event are Dr. Nancy Bercaw, chair of political and military history at the National Museum of American History; Dr. Aleia Brown, assistant director of the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities; Dr. Modupe Labode, curator at the National Museum of American History; and Dr. Crystal Moten, curator at the National Museum of American History.

“Lena Richard and Julia Child: Two Women Who Changed Culinary History,” Wednesday, March 10, 6 p.m. CST: Through their cookbooks, teaching and television programs, these extraordinary women inspired generations of people to take cooking seriously. They challenged perceptions and stereotypes of women in their respective eras and made lasting contributions to culinary history. Their stories, reflective of their very different backgrounds, reveal insights about women, race, food and culture in 20th-century America. Featured speakers for this event are Paula Johnson, curator at the National Museum of American History; and Dr. Ashley Rose Young, historian at the National Museum of American History.

“Women in Aerospace: Stories from the Smithsonian Collection,” Wednesday, March 17, 4 p.m. CST: Featured speaker Dr. Margaret Weitekamp, curator and department chair of the Space History Department at the National Air and Space Museum has researched and written on how a groundswell of support helped create a LEGO set representing women’s contributions to aerospace.