Exciting news: Spring is almost here! Typically, we all think of March as the month that Spring arrives, right? Spring break, no school for a week, and nice weather. Well, there’s actually something special about the month of March that not many people know about. March is Women’s History Month, a.k.a the month where we celebrate women who have impacted the world through their vital contributions.
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Women’s History Month originated between 1981 and 1982 when Congress deemed the week of March 7th, “Women’s History Week.” About five years later, the National Women’s History Project petitioned to have the entire month designated specifically for recognizing all the contributions women have made throughout the years. So, thanks to the National Women’s History Project, every March we can celebrate women’s accomplishments!
National Women’s History Project
I wanted to elaborate a little on the National Women’s History Project since it had such a big impact on getting an entire month dedicated to women’s contributions to society. This project started in 1980 in Santa Rosa, California by Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, Paula Hammett and Bette Morgan. This project was started because these women noticed that women weren’t being featured in texts, having only about 3% of all texts devoted to women. Due to the small percentage of women in texts, young girls had little to no female role models. This drove the five women to convince Congress that women needed to be celebrated annually. The National Women’s History Project also provides information, materials, videos, and speeches to promote women’s history throughout the year.
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We all can think of a woman in history that has had a huge impact on society that we learn about in school or reading books, but what about the women who impact us in our personal lives? They should be celebrated, too! Our mothers and grandmothers all come from different backgrounds and have impacted history in ways that we may not know about. I can tell you, my mom has definitely impacted my own life, and she should be celebrated! For all the things she’s put up with (including giving birth to me!), for all the times she’s taken care of me, and for all the times she’s supported me, she deserves the attention and celebration.
So, this month, take the time to celebrate even the smallest accomplishments and impacts of women in our lives AND in history. ALL women, from EVERY race, EVERY culture, and EVERY background should be celebrated.
“From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.” – Jimmy Carter, 1980