Women's Week
Women's Week
Women’s Week brings together stakeholders in gender equity on campus for a week of programming dedicated to centering the intersectional experiences of women and gender-expansive people on and beyond Harvard's campus.
Women’s Week 2026 (March 2–6) brought our community together to explore the theme "Narratives of Power." Throughout the week, we reflected on the many ways women define and embody power—through storytelling, scholarship, leadership, law, policy, faith, sport, creativity, and self-care—to uplift and strengthen our community.
The week’s signature event, the Peggy Schmertzler Leadership Seminar, featured Dr. Sima Samar—Nobel Peace Prize nominee and former Vice President of Afghanistan’s Interim Administration—in conversation with Leslie Thomas, founder of ART WORKS Projects and Executive Producer of The Sharp Edge of Peace.
Hosted in collaboration with student organizations and campus partners, Women’s Week honored women across identities and welcomed participants of all genders to engage, reflect, and be inspired by the stories that shape our collective power.
Highlights from Women's Week 2026
Bouquet & Care Package Giveaway
Students were invited to build their own bouquet and care package, meet new friends, and celebrate the start of Women's Week.
About the Peggy Schmertzler Leadership Seminar
The Peggy Schmertzler Leadership Seminar brings transformative leaders working to advance equity for women to share their knowledge and experience with our community.
Peggy Schmertzler was a strong women's advocate. A graduate of Radcliffe, at her 35th reunion, Peggy began to inquire about what Harvard was like for women and her inquiries uncovered a reality that motivated her to ensure that the Harvard to come would be closer to it’s aspirations than the Harvard she knew. Through her leadership, the Committee for the Equality of Women at Harvard was founded to continue to challenge the status quo of inequality for women on campus.
This group was charged with supporting the administration to increase the number of tenured women faculty and advancing equity and access for women across the university. Peggy’s continued presence and support helped to advance this group’s charge throughout its 30-year existence.
Her tenacious spirit, unwavering vision, and dedication to women’s advancement inspired many. We honor her legacy through this leadership seminar.
2026 Peggy Schmertzler Leadership Seminar with Dr. Sima Samar
During the Peggy Schmertzler Leadership Seminar, attendees reflected on women’s leadership, human rights, peacebuilding, and democratic resilience featuring the film “The Sharp Edge of Peace” and Dr. Sima Samar.
In Brief: 2026 Schmertzler Leadership Seminar
The Harvard Foundation hosted Dr. Sima Samar—a Nobel Peace Prize nominee, physician, and former vice president in Afghanistan’s interim government under Hamid Karzai—for the Peggy Schmertzler Leadership Seminar on March 4 at the Harvard Faculty Club. As the signature event of Women’s Week, the program highlighted Samar, a former chair of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and former U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Sudan, who spoke about the past, present, and future of Afghan women’s rights.
