Women Who Came Together to Change the World

Women’s History Month is dedicated to recognizing the remarkable achievements that women have made. What makes this month so important is that it provides the opportunity for society to learn about the achievements of women. I often wonder how Women’s History Month came into existence and who advocated for it. Understanding the origin of this wonderful month helps one truly appreciate the importance of the holiday. 

Women’s History Month originally started as “Women’s History Week”. The celebration was planned by The Education Task Force of Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women in Santa Rosa, California. Leaders of the organization choose the week of March 8 to correlate with International Women’s Day. Many communities began to implement their own celebrations the next year.

In 1979 Molly Murphy MacGregor was invited to participate in The Women’s History Institute at Sarah Lawerence College and there she learned about the success of the Sonoma County’s Women’s History Week. There, along with other participants they decided to create celebrations inside of their own organizations, communities and school districts. It was during that event that the group decided to push for a “National Women’s History Week”. 

In order for “National Women’s History Week” to be in effect there was a need for presidential and congressional support. February of 1980 marked the next steps toward success as President Jimmy Carter presented the first Presidential Proclamation declaring that the week of March 8th would be National Women’s History Week. 

“……As Dr. Gerda Lerner has noted, “Women’s History is Women’s Right.” – It is an essential and indispensable heritage from which we can draw pride, comfort, courage, and long-range vision.”

I ask my fellow Americans to recognize this heritage with appropriate activities during National Women’s History Week, March 2-8, 1980.

I urge libraries, schools, and community organizations to focus their observances on the leaders who struggled for equality – – Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, and Alice Paul…….”

Following that influential proclamation, Representative Barbara Mikulski (she was in the House of Representatives at the time) and Senator Orrin Hatch co-sponsored a Congressional Resolution for National Women’s History Week. This sponsorship showed political support for the recognition, honor and achievements of American women. News about “Women’s History Week ” and sponsorship spread across the nation, departments of education in many states encouraged the celebration week in the classrooms. Schools in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and Oregon implemented this celebration into their public school curriculum, and within the next few years, thousands of schools followed in that same path. The National Women’s History Alliance took on the responsibility of lobbying for the special week each year which called for the assistance of thousands of people and hundreds of both educational and women’s organizations. 

By 1986, 14 states declared March “Women’s History Month”. The power of that declaration led to Congress officially labeling the entire month of March “Women’s History Month” that following the year 1987. 

The sacrifices, drive and willingness to create a space where women are celebrated is something to absorb. It’s never too late to start to celebrate. Check out what your school and community have in store this month to honor the women who created change and are continuing to create change. Maybe you can take this opportunity to express the importance of this month in the spaces that you occupy.  

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