March is National Women’s History Month, a time to reflect on the remarkable accomplishments of women throughout history. Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and many other inspiring women have played an important and well-known role in history. Some lesser-known yet equally important women are the founders of the National Women’s History Project (NWHP). NWHP lead a coalition that successfully lobbied Congress to designate March as National Women’s History Month in 1987. Molly Murphy MacGregor and Mary Ruthsdotter were two women who took part in the founding of the NWHP. These women actively fought for women’s rights and representation throughout their lives.
Molly Murphy MacGregor is the Executive Director, Co-Founder, and Chair of the NWHA. In order to raise awareness for women’s history, MacGregor organizes women’s history workshops and women’s historic site tours countrywide. She has also completed work in the field of multicultural women’s history which has received awards from the National Education Association, the US Department of Education, the National Association for Multicultural Education, and the Association for Gender Equity Leadership in Education Leadership.
Mary Ruthsdotter was a Co-Founder of the NWHA. She passed away in 2010, throughout her life she actively promoted women’s history. Ruthsdotter organized the annual women’s history parade in Santa Rosa, California in 1979. She also established the Women’s History Network, an association dedicated to promoting women’s history.
International Women’s History Month is a time where we commemorate the accomplishments of women throughout history. As such, it is important to honor the women and the organization that helped establish this celebration.