In the shadow of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin’s historic White House bids, “”Herstory”” month begins today with the goal of officially celebrating women.

Today from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the Women’s Plaza of Honor, the Women’s Resource Center and the Associated Students of the University of Arizona are hosting a kick off event with free coffee, tea and hot chocolate and a community of women who will “”share stories of womanhood,”” said Malia Uhatafe, a religious studies senior and WRC director.

From not being able to vote to having a female candidate for president, the 2008 presidential election was the high point in the journey of American women, said Seema Patel, ASUA’s administrative vice president and political science senior.

Clinton’s political journey “”plays a huge role in Herstory Month,”” Uhatafe said.

The powerful positions women held in the 2008 election showed that people can accomplish anything, regardless of gender, Uhatafe said.

“”Women’s history month is about what women back in history went through to get us in this position,”” she said.

Patel said the month celebrates how far the women’s equality movement has come, but “”we have a lot of work to do”” in the continual process for equal rights.

“”The word ‘history’ is his story, (we) manipulated it a bit to make it herstory – the woman’s story,”” Uhatafe said.

The WRC will host several events in March that aim to celebrate women and to promote educational, workplace and health equality, she said.

“”I’m looking forward to the different film series,”” Patel said. “”It sparks dialogue within (ones)self.””

As part of Herstory Month there will be female-oriented films playing every Wednesday in the Gallagher Theater of the Student Union Memorial Center, she said.

The WRC will also host a “”breast party,”” during which women can make molds of their breasts.

The breast party is “”a big celebration,”” Patel said.

It is an important bonding experience that encourages women to love their bodies in spite of societal pressure and unrealistic body images in the media, Uhatafe said.

“”We have a lot of events going on and the majority of them are free,”” Uhatafe said. “”To learn more I highly suggest checking the calendar.””

Patel said these events are important because they celebrate and allow women to explore what it means to be a woman.

It’s “”absolutely vital to understand where you come from as a woman,”” she said, the events are “”very empowering.””

Patel said she hasn’t met any resistance to putting on the Herstory Month but said she has encountered people who felt female centered programs are things of the past.

Utahafe said she has seen more support for the event, which the WRC has been putting on since 2007, than she has seen negativity for it.

“”It’s fairly new, we plan on just keeping it present on campus,”” Uhatafe said.