Women’s History Month, which takes place in March, is arguably one of the most important months of the year. It is a time to honor women throughout history and society. Throughout history, women have made important impacts and had positive influences on society. By honoring women, we are also recognizing the complete history of their achievements and the world women helped to create.
Women’s History Month originally started as Women’s History Week. It started in Santa Rosa, California, and quickly spread across the country. The month of March was chosen as Women’s History Month because March 8 is International Women’s Day.
International Women’s Day stems from labor movements and protests in New York City in 1908. In 1910, communist activists proposed that the day be celebrated at a conference for working women in Copenhagen. In the following year in 1911, the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. It wasn’t until 1975 that the day was finally celebrated in the United States. Then, in 2011, President Barack Obama declared March to be Women’s History Month, calling Americans to mark the month by reflecting on “the extraordinary accomplishments of women.”
As we start the month, I believe it is important that we continue to educate ourselves about the importance of Women’s History Month. Especially in these times, highlighting the progress in celebrating women’s contributions throughout history opens the conversations more about gender equality, women empowerment and more opportunities for women as a whole. Recognizing these things serves as a reminder of the struggles and triumphs of female trailblazers across all fields. Women have contributed an immense amount of effort to society, and they should never go unnoticed like lawyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and scientist Marie Curi. So for the month of March, don’t forget to celebrate all the important women in your life and acknowledge all the good women have done for society.