Women’s History Month may be ending soon, but appreciation for feminism and women’s empowerment is a year-long affair. With a storied past and thriving culture celebrating women, New York City is the perfect place to dive into the history of feminist and women-led movements. With only a few days left in March, check out these eight spots — from museums to theaters to women-owned cafes, there’s something for everyone.

Nuyorican Poets Cafe

236 E. Third St. 

In 1973, Puerto Rican writer and poet Miguel Algarín’s E. Sixth Street apartment became a “living room salon,” a gathering place that supported fellow creatives of color whose work was not widely accepted in mainstream, academic society. The cafe has become nationally known for its poetry slams, open mics, concerts and theater productions. The first Wednesday of every month is “Women Orators Wednesday Open Mic,” an event that hosts women-identifying individuals and an audience to express themselves through poetry.

Caridad De La Luz, the cafe’s executive director and recent Emmy Award winner, told WSN that she created WOW last year because they saw “a need for women-led spaces, divine feminine unity and healing from patriarchal trauma.” The atmosphere at the February WOW gathering was buzzing, and the space allows the audience to unite in both collective anger toward misogyny and celebration of womanhood.

Center for Women’s History at the New York Historical Society

170 Central Park West

The center highlights women who have influenced American society in the past and the present, offering various exhibitions dedicated to female change makers. The center also provides a free and expansive curriculum on women’s history, as well as scholarly resources. 

Current exhibitions include “Billie Jean King: Tennis Court to Capitol Hill,” which features objects from the Billie Jean Archive that display how the tennis player fought for female athletes and Title IX, the law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex. “Women’s Voices” is a multimedia installation showcasing activists, scientists, educators, athletic champions and more. “‘Our Bodies Our Power’: Women at the Forefront of the Equal Rights Amendment,” is an exhibition dedicated to the history and the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment, an amendment guaranteeing legal gender equality.

Brooklyn Museum 

200 Eastern Parkway

The Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum is an 8,300-square-foot gallery dedicated to feminist art, with study areas and spaces for public presentations. The center strives to educate and explore the cultural impact of feminism. 

Currently on display is “The Dinner Party” by mixed media artist Judy Chicago. The 1970s feminist work showcases 1,038 influential women who are represented throughout the installation. 39 women are featured on place settings while 999 are inscribed on the Heritage Floor that the triangular table stands on. The dedication to honoring the work of women surely makes “The Dinner Party” a piece of feminist art worth checking out.

Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter’s short film, “Ain’t I a Woman,” is being shown at the Brooklyn Museum through August. The film explores Baxter’s experience of giving birth while incarcerated, and the fight for reproductive rights she embarked on afterward. The film also centers the experience of Black girls and women in America, exploring issues of violence, exploitation, political disenfranchisement and mass incarceration, and their unequal access to abortion.

WOW Cafe Theatre 

59-61 E. Fourth St. Floor 4

The WOW Café Theatre opened in 1980 as a festival that was “performed for hungry New York lesbians.” Today, the theater’s website describes it as a collectively-run performance space dedicated to women and trans artists.

All you have to do to participate in the theater collective is show up. Every Tuesday, there is a general member meeting at 6:30 p.m. and all women, transgender and non-binary people are invited. The theater has no artistic director or membership dues, encouraging participants to drive the creative process.

Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument

Central Park, at 68th St.

If you find yourself taking a stroll in Central Park this March, make sure to check out “The Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument.” The bronze statue commemorates the women of the suffrage movement, depicting Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton working together in their fight for the passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Suffragettes laid the foundation for the rights women have today, and they are an integral part of women’s history we should celebrate this month.

Cafe Con Libros 

724 Prospect Place, Brooklyn

Cafe Con Libros describes itself as an Intersectional Feminist bookstore and coffee shop dedicated to creating a collective space to celebrate and center women-identifying individuals. The cafe sells beverages, books and feminist merch, and hosts literary events for the community. If you’re a feminist and a reader, head over to Brooklyn and check out the shop!

Contact Alexa Donovan at [email protected]