As Special Collections’ celebration of Women’s History Month concludes, the Law Center Archives focuses on the history of women at the Law Center.

In the ‘Proclamation for Women’s History Month, 2012,’ President Obama spoke about the “arc of the American story in the dynamic women who shaped our present and the groundbreaking girls who will steer our future.” In slightly more than sixty years, the number and influence of women at the Law Center have grown from a series of women’s ‘firsts’ to becoming an equal and integral part of the Law Center and practice of law.  

Ruth Paven, seen here in the middle, became the first woman graduate in 1953.

This year’s graduating class will be comprised almost equally of men and women.

As their individual numbers at the Law Center increased, women’s groups evolved from Kappa Beta Pi sorority through the Women’s Rights Collection to a variety of student organizations and alumnae groups, including the Women’s Forum.

Wendy Williams, Georgetown Professor Emerita, shown here facilitating audience participation at the first Women’s Forum in 1992.   

Opportunities for service grew as the curriculum and clinical programs evolved. The Georgetown Sex Discrimination Clinic, the first of its kind in the country, flourished and expanded into the Domestic Violence Clinic and the International Women's Human Rights Clinic.  

Empowerment of women is the theme of this year’s Women’s History Month. If you would like to learn more about individual women or groups at Georgetown Law, contact the Archives at 202-662-9133 or email bah54@law.georgetown.edu.