March is designated as Women’s History Month. This month serves to recognize women’s vital roles throughout history. In 1978, The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women began celebrating Women’s History Week hosted in Santa Rosa, California. They designated March 8th as International Women’s Day.
The movement of celebration began to spread to other communities. In 1980, various groups of women and historians officially asked the federal government for recognition. President Jimmy Carter made the week of March 8th National Women’s History Week. A couple of years later, in 1987, Congress designated March as Women’s History Month in the United States. The month is dedicated to reflecting on the often-overlooked contributions to women’s history.
The initial proclamation of Women’s History Month includes honoring the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America while showing appreciation and seeing it with equal value as to what the men contributed as well. From Abigail Adams to Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks, the timeline of women’s history milestones stretches back to the founding of the United States.
A theme is announced every year to make each Women’s History Month memorable and keep the celebrations alive. This year’s theme is celebrating women who tell our stories. This means that, according to the National Women’s History Alliance, we need to recognize “women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news, and social media.” Learning and acknowledging what women have done for America throughout history is essential.
The theme this year is meant to celebrate all the stories being told through all forms of media and release those untold stories waiting for someone to share them. It is essential to recognize these historical women and the impacts they made by sharing their stories and personal history. Women throughout history had to fight their way through to make the impacts they did and to be recognized in history.
Women’s History Month is celebrated in more than 100 countries, including America. Celebrating women’s impacts and accomplishments throughout history cannot be contained to those who only made a change in America. Women who made impacts and made their names known in history internationally also deserve to be celebrated and have their stories told.
There are many ways to celebrate Women’s History Month. Some ways to do this are by exploring the history of women’s rights, supporting women’s nonprofits, and being aware of issues women still face today. You can also share social media posts to spread awareness of this month’s celebrations and any issues you feel passionate about that still affect women today.