March 2027 Campaign
Women's History Month & International Women's Day
Women's History MonthAll of March 2027
Int'l Women's DayMarch 8, 2027
The Brown Forum, the DVI Clinic, an ERA still unpublished — the work for women in the law is unfinished, and it lives here.
ERA
The National Archives has not certified or published it as part of the Constitution
Primary-source standard
Constitutional, employment, education, health, and wage claims must be checked against the originating archive, court, legislature, agency, Census, CDC, or Northeastern page. Professional and advocacy groups remain linked as resources, not as controlling factual authority. Dates, themes, speakers, and toolkits for 2027 are provisional until the organizer publishes them.
01
Why this campaign
The Women's History Month 2027 theme — 'Financial Literacy, Liberation, and Leadership: Women in Business' — is tailor-made for a law school. Financial liberation and the 'history of women's economic rights and landmark legislation' are the thread connecting suffrage to the Equal Pay Act to MEPA to the MA Pay Transparency Law. And this year, that theme lands against a legal backdrop defined by: the MA Pay Transparency Law taking effect (October 29, 2025), the PWFA upheld by the 5th Circuit, the gender pay gap widening for the second consecutive year, and the Title IX 2024 rule vacated. The campaign has both celebratory and urgent content to offer.
The campaign's NUSL anchor is the Judith Olans Brown Forum for Women in the Law — 19th Annual, May 14, 2027. The 2026–27 Practitioner-in-Residence is Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters. These are usable, immediate assets.
Emergency & key contacts — keep these close
National DV Hotline
1-800-799-7233 | Text START to 88788 (24/7)
RAINN National SA Hotline
OPEN (NU — confidential; virtual for FlexJD)
617-373-4459 | open@northeastern.edu
Find@Northeastern (NEU 24/7 counseling)
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NUSL Brown Forum + WLC
NUSL Prof. Libby Adler (Gender + Law)
l.adler@neu.edu | 617.373.7513
If/When/How at NUSL (reproductive justice)
@nuslifwhenhow
National Women's Law Center
nwlc.org | Fatima Goss Graves, President/CEO
ABA Commission on Women in the Profession
Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts
womensbar.org | (617) 973-6666
Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women
masscsw.org | (617) 670-8260
Jane Doe Inc. (MA DV/SA coalition)
janedoe.org | (617) 248-0922
Center for Reproductive Rights
Know Your IX (Title IX rights)
NUSL Title IX Coordinator (Mark Jannoni)
(617) 373-3543 | m.jannoni@northeastern.edu
02
At Northeastern Law
NUSL WOMEN'S LEGAL RESOURCES
Judith Olans Brown Forum for Women in the Law — 19th Annual: May 14, 2027
Full name: JUDITH OLANS BROWN FORUM FOR WOMEN IN THE LAW (WIL) law. Founded 2021 by Professor Emerita Judith Olans Brown and her husband Jim Brown — she is a longtime NUSL faculty member and co-editor of Mary Joe Frug's Women and the Law. $1M total contribution ($500K 2021 + $500K 2025). Program Director: Mielle Marquis. 18th Annual (May 15, 2026): theme 'Elevate Your Voice,' keynote Joyce White Vance. 19th Annual: May 14, 2027. (Date announced; format and theme not yet confirmed.) Practitioner-in-Residence Program (launched 2022): nationally recognized woman attorney for a 3-day residency of class lectures, WLC meetings, and office hours. Past residents: Debra Katz (inaugural, March 2022); Brigitte Amiri '99 (ACLU Reproductive Freedom, Nov. 2022); Hon. Anita Earls (NC Supreme Court); Carrie Goldberg (Nov. 13–15, 2024); Marielena Hincapié '96 (Nov. 12–15, 2025); Celina Stewart (Nov. 17–19, 2026).
2026–27 Practitioner-in-Residence: Celina Stewart
CEO, League of Women Voters of the US. JD, Western Michigan University; BA, Spelman College. Visiting NUSL Nov. 17–19, 2026 — will meet with the Women's Law Caucus. Recent advocacy: testified before the US Senate in May 2025 warning that the SAVE Act could disproportionately suppress eligible voters, especially women. Litigation: LWV Arizona v. Lions of Liberty; LWV of New Hampshire v. Kramer.
Women's Law Caucus (WLC) — CONFIRMED NAME
Instagram: @nusl.wlc 'The Women's Law Caucus (WLC) is a group at NUSL focused on creating a support system that empowers women in the legal profession. Men are also encouraged to join.' Runs a 1L mentorship program. Partners with the Brown Forum (residents routinely meet with WLC).
If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice
Instagram: @nuslifwhenhow National If When How chapter at NUSL. Reproductive justice programming — a primary partner for March content on Dobbs aftermath and MA reproductive protections.
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Prof. Libby S. Adler — Faculty Lead
law. Professor of Law AND Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies (joint appointment). NUSL JD 1994. Teaches: Constitutional Law; Sexuality, Gender and the Law (LAW LW 7488); Family Law; Administrative Law. Author: Gay Priori (Duke University Press, April 2018); forthcoming: The Queerness of Political Economies (Cambridge University Press, 2026). 2023 AALS SOGII LGBTQ+ Individual Inclusive Excellence Award. Co-editor of Mary Joe Frug's Women and the Law (4th ed.).
Prof. Martha F. Davis — Faculty
University Distinguished Professor. Co-Director CGLJ and PHRGE. Women's rights, reproductive rights, human rights, right to water. Frequent public commentator on the ERA — 'Biden's statement does move the ball … but it doesn't end the controversy.' Argued Nguyen v. INS before SCOTUS.
Note: Prof. Aziza Ahmed is not NUSL faculty.
Prof. Ahmed moved to Boston University School of Law (BU Law, 'BU Law Welcomes Aziza Ahmed,' 2022). She is a N. Neal Pike Scholar at BU Law; content referencing her work should credit BU, not NUSL.
Courses relevant to Women's History Month
LAW LW 7488 'Sexuality, Gender and the Law' (3 credits) — Prof. Adler LW 7588 'Reproductive Rights and Health' (3 credits) JDx Graduate Certificate in 'Women, Gender, Sexuality and the Law' — law.
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The legal framework
KEY WOMEN'S RIGHTS LEGAL MILESTONES
1848 — Seneca Falls Declaration
The 'Declaration of Sentiments' modeled on the Declaration of Independence; began the 72-year campaign for women's suffrage.
1869 — Arabella Mansfield admitted to the bar
First woman admitted to the bar in the United States (Iowa). Made possible by a state statute — not by any right recognized at common law.
1879 — Belva Lockwood
First woman to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court.
1920 — 19th Amendment
Women's right to vote — after 72 years of organizing from Seneca Falls.
1931 — Sadie T.M. Alexander
First Black woman to earn a PhD in economics in the US and the first Black woman to graduate from Penn Law and be admitted to the Pennsylvania bar. Her work sits at the intersection of race, gender, and economic rights, connecting directly to WHM's economic-justice themes.
1963 — Equal Pay Act
Prohibits wage differentials based on sex for substantially equal work performed under similar conditions. Exceptions historically limited its reach.
1964 — Title VII (Civil Rights Act)
Prohibits employment discrimination based on sex (among other protected characteristics). Interpreted by SCOTUS in Bostock (2020) to cover sexual orientation and gender identity.
1971 — Reed v. Reed
First SCOTUS application of Equal Protection to sex discrimination: Idaho statute preferring male estate administrators over female was struck. Justice Burger majority; Ruth Bader Ginsburg briefed the case for the ACLU Women's Rights Project (her first SCOTUS brief).
1972 — Title IX
Prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs receiving federal funding. See Section 5 for current Title IX status.
1973 — Frontiero v. Richardson
8-1: federal law requiring male military members to prove their spouses' financial dependence (while female members got automatic benefits for husbands) was unconstitutional. Brennan plurality applied strict scrutiny to sex; Powell plurality declined. The case RBG argued for the ACLU that came closest to strict scrutiny before Craig v. Boren (1976) established intermediate scrutiny.
1978 — Pregnancy Discrimination Act
Added pregnancy to Title VII's prohibitions. Led directly to the 2022 PWFA.
1981 — Sandra Day O'Connor
First woman on the U.S. Supreme Court (d. December 1, 2023). Her legacy: the swing vote on abortion (Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 1992), affirmative action (Grutter, 2003), and detainee rights.
1994 — VAWA
Violence Against Women Act; reauthorized 2022.
1996 — United States v. Virginia (VMI case)
7-1, Ginsburg: Virginia Military Institute's male-only admissions policy violated Equal Protection. Required states to have an 'exceedingly persuasive justification' for sex classifications.
2009 — Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
First bill signed by President Obama. Resets the 180-day filing clock for pay discrimination claims with each new discriminatory paycheck — overruling SCOTUS's Ledbetter v. Goodyear (2007) decision.
2022 — Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed
First Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. Harvard AB 1992, Harvard Law 1996. Former Public Defender.
2022 — Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization
6-3, Alito: Overruled Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992). Returned abortion regulation to the states.
2022 — PWFA signed (eff. June 18, 2024)
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act — see Section 5.
04
Organizations & resources
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS — WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND LEGAL PROFESSION
National Women's Law Center (NWLC)
President/CEO: Fatima Goss Graves (since July 1, 2017; co-founded the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund; formerly NWLC's VP). Founded 1972 by Marcia Greenberger and Nancy Duff Campbell. Active litigation policy on equal pay, Title IX, reproductive rights, PWFA, workplace justice. Goss Graves testified before a House Oversight subcommittee in May 2025.
ABA Commission on Women in the Profession
Annual March toolkit (check website in fall). 'Decade of the Female Lawyer' data; pay equity resources; career support. ABA Profile of the Legal Profession (annual, November release).
AAUW (American Association of University Women)
Pay equity data; 'The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap'; fellowships and scholarships. The AAUW American Fellowships are among the most competitive for women in law.
ERA Coalition
Board chaired by Alyssa Milano. Advocates for ERA publication. ABA Resolution 601 recognizes the ERA as the 28th Amendment.
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National Partnership for Women & Families
Produces the leading intersectional wage-gap fact sheets; FMLA advocacy; paid leave.
Feminist Majority Foundation
Abortion access; reproductive rights; Title IX enforcement advocacy.
UN Women — IWD resources
Official UN campaign materials for IWD including CEDAW resources (the US has signed but never ratified CEDAW — another BHM-adjacent issue).
Center for Reproductive Rights
Principal post-Dobbs litigation organization. Active cases in MA and nationwide.
National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL)
Annual survey of women in law firms; Pathways Fellowship; networking and career development for women lawyers.
National Women's History Alliance (NWHA)
Sets the WHM 2027 theme; calendar of honorees; free educational resources.
BOSTON AND MASSACHUSETTS ORGANIZATIONS
Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBAMA)
womensbar.org Office: Founded 1978; 1,500+ members; one of the oldest and largest women's bar associations in the US. Programs: Women's Leadership Initiative (WLI) mentoring program (Gov. Maura Healey is an alum); Law Student Committee; Judicial Pipeline Committee; annual Legislative Breakfast at the MA State House (held in March — confirm 2027 date); Lelia J. Robinson Awards. Affiliated Women's Bar Foundation: Family Law Project for Survivors of Domestic Abuse; Elder Law Project; Women's Prison & Re-Entry Project.
Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (MCSW)
1 Ashburton Place, 16th Floor, Suite 16220, Boston MA 02108 Chairwoman: Mary-dith Tuitt Executive Director: Shaitia Spruell Created 1998; 19 volunteer commissioners. Flagship program: 'Commonwealth Heroines' (annual June State House recognition). Programs: Girls Empowerment Leadership Initiative (GELI), Advocacy Day, Speakers Bureau.
Jane Doe Inc. (Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence)
Executive Director: Debra J. Robbin. ~60 member programs. Annual Advocacy Day at the MA State House (March 16, 2026 in the most recent cycle — confirm 2027 date).
Boston Bar Association — Women's Leadership and Advancement
15,000+ members. Programming on gender equity in the legal profession.
Know Your IX
Student rights under Title IX. Free campus-organizing toolkits; legal information for student complainants and respondents. Current status: 2020 Title IX rules govern as of February 2025.
05
Key facts & framing
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH AND IWD — THEMES AND TIMING
★ WHM 2027 theme — OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED
'Financial Literacy, Liberation, and Leadership: Women in Business' / Confirmed by the National Women's History Alliance (NWHA, nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org), developed with St. John's University's Catalyst Project. Announced March 30, 2026 via NWHA webinar; confirmed after April public survey; officially confirmed May 2026. / Campaign includes a 'March of Icons' centerfold calendar honoring 30 women business/finance leaders, with March 8 (IWD) reserved for communities to honor a LOCAL woman icon. / The 'Financial Liberation' throughline examines 'the history of women's economic rights and financial equity in the United States, including landmark legislation' — directly on-point for law students. / Expected: 500+ participating schools, universities, banks, professional associations, and corporate sponsors.
IWD 2027 theme — NOT YET PUBLISHED
Monitor internationalwomensday.com from October 2026. The 2026 theme was 'Give To Gain' (#IWD2026, #GiveToGain). / No official IWD 2027 theme has been announced as of June 2026 (a widely circulated "Accelerate Action" theme was actually from 2025). / Once published: download the free IWD toolkit (social graphics, editable PowerPoint, Zoom backgrounds, email signatures, save-the-date posters) from internationalwomensday.com.
UN IWD 2026 theme
'Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.' (As reported by third-party sources; see UN Women for the official theme statement.)
WHM 2026 theme (for reference)
'Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.' (Set by NWHA.)
IWD free toolkit (2026 materials as template)
internationalwomensday.com offers free: social-media selfie cards (1080×1350 and 1024×512 px), editable PowerPoint template, Zoom/web-meeting backgrounds, email signatures, countdown graphics, awareness posters, videos, and a build-your-own IWD landing page. 2027 toolkit will be posted once the theme is announced.
March 8 — IWD local-icon mechanic (WHM 2027)
Under the WHM 2027 campaign, March 8 is designated for communities to honor a LOCAL woman icon. For NUSL: honor a NUSL woman faculty member, alum, or practitioner-in-residence. Natural tie to the Brown Forum and Prof. Adler's work.
CRITICAL LEGAL DEVELOPMENTS
Equal Rights Amendment — status
⚠️ STILL UNPUBLISHED. On December 17, 2024, Archivist Colleen Shogan and Deputy Archivist William Bosanko stated the ERA 'cannot be certified as part of the Constitution due to established legal, judicial, and procedural decisions,' citing 2020 and 2022 OLC opinions that the ratification deadline is valid. President Biden declared it 'the law of the land' on January 17, 2025 — no legal force. Ongoing litigation: Equal Means Equal v. Trump (D. Mass., Judge William G. Young; arguments March 24, 2026). Prof. Davis (NUSL): Biden's statement 'does move the ball … but it doesn't end the controversy.' Status current as of publication.
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) — UPHELD 2025
EEOC final rule effective June 18, 2024 (employers with 15+ employees; reasonable accommodation for known limitations from pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions absent undue hardship). / ★ 5th Circuit upheld the PWFA's constitutionality on August 15, 2025 (Texas v. Bondi) — reversed the district court and rejected the Quorum Clause challenge. / ⚠️ CAVEAT: A Louisiana federal judge in May 2025 vacated the EEOC rule portions requiring accommodation for elective abortions. The Trump EEOC has signaled intent to rescind Biden-era regulations. Net: PWFA itself is in full effect nationwide; abortion-accommodation provisions are vacated. Confirm current EEOC guidance before relying on this for time-sensitive advocacy.
Title IX — 2020 rules reinstated
The 2024 Title IX Final Rule (which expressly covered dating violence, gender identity, and sex stereotypes) was vacated nationwide on January 9, 2025 (Tennessee v. Cardona, E.D. Ky., Judge Reeves — found the rule exceeded the Department's authority and violated the First Amendment). The 2020 Title IX regulations are now restored nationwide. The 2024 rule had expanded 'sex-based harassment' to include sexual orientation, gender identity, sex stereotypes, and pregnancy. The current standard: 'severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive'; formal complaint process; deliberate-indifference liability. Title IX Coordinator at NUSL: Mark Jannoni (m.jannoni@northeastern.edu; Richards Hall 125; 617-373-3543).
Dobbs aftermath — national map
Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (2022, 6-3, Alito) overruled Roe and Casey. The Guttmacher Institute's state-policy tracker is the authoritative, frequently updated source — cite its CURRENT figure at campaign launch rather than a fixed number (the map changes as court decisions come in). FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (2024): SCOTUS preserved mifepristone access on standing grounds.
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Massachusetts reproductive protections
ROE Act (2020): codified abortion rights, allowed later abortions for fatal fetal diagnoses, removed barriers for 16–17-year-olds. Shield Law (St. 2022 c. 127): limited MA cooperation with out-of-state investigations. Shield Act 2.0 (St. 2025 c. 16, signed Aug. 7, 2025): strongest reproductive-care shield law in America — strengthens provider data privacy, formally establishes emergency abortion access, and bars MA cooperation with out-of-state or federal investigations into protected care. Abortion is legal in MA generally to 24 weeks.
MA Pay Transparency Law (Chapter 141/2024)
Employers with 25+ MA employees: must disclose salary ranges in job postings and on request (eff. Oct. 29, 2025). Employers with 100+: must file annual EEO wage-data reports (first due Feb. 1, 2025). AG-only enforcement; NO private right of action. A major addition for 2027 campaign content — ties directly to the WHM 2027 'Financial Liberation' theme.
MA Equal Pay Act (MEPA, G.L. c. 149 §105A)
Effective July 1, 2018. 'Comparable work' standard (broader than federal EPA's 'equal work'). 2x liquidated damages plus attorneys' fees. Good-faith self-evaluation affirmative defense. MA women earn ~83¢/$1 vs. men; Black women ~58¢/$1; Latinas ~50¢/$1.
CURRENT DATA ON WOMEN IN THE LEGAL PROFESSION
The gender pay gap widened for the SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR in 2024 — women working full-time were paid 81¢/$1 (down from 83¢ in 2023 and 84¢ in 2022). The first time since this data became available in 1960 that the gap widened two consecutive years.
National Women's Law Center analysis of US Census Bureau data, 2024. nwlc.org.
Intersectional wage gap (relative to white non-Hispanic men): white non-Hispanic women 73¢; Black women 63¢; Latinas 54¢; Native American women 53¢.
National Partnership for Women & Families, 2024 wage data. nationalpartnership.org.
NWLC estimates the pay gap costs women collectively almost $1.9 trillion per year.
National Women's Law Center. nwlc.org.
Women are 41% of all US lawyers (up from 36% in 2014); 56.2% of law students; but only 28% of law firm partners; 12% of managing partners.
ABA Profile of the Legal Profession 2024 (6th annual, released November 2024). americanbar.org.
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33% of sitting Article III federal judges and 43% of state supreme court justices are women (2024).
ABA Profile of the Legal Profession 2024.
Maternal mortality (2023): US rate 18.6 per 100,000 live births (669 deaths). Black women: 50.3 — the ONLY racial group that increased from 2022 to 2023. White women: 14.5.
CDC/NCHS, Donna L. Hoyert, 'Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2023,' NCHS Health E-Stat 100, February 2025. doi:10.15620/cdc/174577.
Sexual harassment charges at EEOC: harassment was the basis of 40.4% of all FY 2024 charges (the most common basis).
EEOC, FY 2024 data. eeoc.gov.
06
Content calendar
CONTENT CALENDAR — MARCH 2027
March Newsletter (send ~Mar. 1)
Opening: 'March is Women's History Month — and 2027 gives us everything to talk about.' / WHM 2027 theme: 'Financial Literacy, Liberation, and Leadership: Women in Business.' Connect to pay equity law: MA Pay Transparency Law (eff. Oct. 2025), MEPA, the gender pay gap (81¢ and WIDENING for the 2nd consecutive year). / Legal landscape: ERA still unpublished; PWFA upheld by 5th Circuit but abortion accommodations vacated; Title IX reverted to 2020 rules; Dobbs map ongoing. / NUSL anchors: Brown Forum 19th Annual (May 14, 2027); Celina Stewart residency (Nov. 2026); Prof. Adler; If/When/How. / As one framing for closing WHM content: "The law shaped the world women inherited. Students in this program will shape the next version."
Instagram — March milestones arc
Week 1: Historical milestones — Mansfield (1869), Lockwood (1879), 19th Amendment (1920), Sadie Alexander (1931), Reed v. Reed (1971), Title IX (1972), SD O'Connor (1981), KBJ (2022). / Week 2: Current legal landscape — pay gap (81¢), ERA (still unpublished), PWFA (upheld + abortion accommodation vacated), Title IX (2020 rules restored), Dobbs aftermath. / Week 3: NUSL + Boston — Brown Forum; Profs. Adler and Davis; WLC; If/When/How; WBAMA; Jane Doe Inc.; MCSW. / Week 4: Career resources — AAUW fellowships; ABA Commission; NWLC internships; NAWL; Know Your IX.
WHM 2027 theme tie-in
The 'Financial Liberation' theme directly maps to law school content: Equal Pay Act (1963) + Lilly Ledbetter Act (2009) + MEPA (2018) + MA Pay Transparency Law (2025) = the legislative arc of women's economic rights.
Confirm IWD 2027 theme
internationalwomensday.com — announced typically fall/winter; monitor October–December 2026. Update all IWD graphics and hashtags once confirmed.
Hashtags
#WomensHistoryMonth #WHM2027 #IWD2027 #InternationalWomensDay #WomenInLaw #FinancialLiberation #EqualPay #ERA #KnowYourIX #NUSLPublicInterest
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Source and freshness status
Controlling primary authorities
Needs primary-source review before quotation or reliance
Advocacy-group wage-gap calculations; professional-association demographics; current leadership and program descriptions; state-law summaries without a linked statute; claimed 2027 speakers or forum dates; and all 2027 themes, toolkits, awards, or events not yet published by the official organizer. They remain visible as planning and research leads, not certified current facts.
Reviewed
August 20, 2026. Recheck agency rules, litigation, program dates, and application windows at campaign launch.