By Jillian Tresca '24
March is also known as Women’s History Month, a full month to honor and celebrate the strong, accomplished women of the world. We sometimes take for granted the work women do to keep our country functioning, so Women’s History Month provides the perfect opportunity to educate yourself and others on important historical female figures. It is also a time to give recognition and show appreciation to the women who have not only helped to shape this country, but other parts of the world as well. What started as International Women’s Day, grew to be Women's History Week (in California of 1978) and is finally now Women’s History Month.
President Jimmy Carter was the man who got America started on having a time dedicated to women’s history. He decided to officially make the week of March 8 Women’s History Week (starting in 1980), which would later evolve into the span of the entire month. Women’s History Month is fairly new seeing as it was only formally created in 1987 by Congress. Still, Women’s History Month has stuck with us over the span of 34 years and will continue to be an educational month as long as our presidents continue to declare as such. There are even themes each year for Women’s History Month, 2020/2021’s being Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced. This is a time where everyone may take the time to learn about incredibly women like Frida Kahlo, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman and countless more.
Susan Scalan says she and Barbara Mikulski, both politicians in the Senate and House of Representatives, chose March because it already had International Women’s Day in it and because it was marching weather. They saw an opportunity and they were not afraid to go to take it. If it had not been for these women (and many others who supported the idea of a Women’s History Week) we may not have an entire commemorative month today.
It is so inspiring how we as a country were able to take something like March 8th (International Women’s Day which was made a holiday in 1911) and make it so there was not only a mere 24 hours, but a whole 31 days (744 hours) to honor women of our country. It is important to give children people to admire and look up to, so that they too can grow up to do great things, and March is a great time to inspire using the stories of women of the past. It is truly an inspiring, motivating month where all can agree to cherish and be grateful for the historical women of the world.
Sources:
https://www.womenshistory.org/womens-history/womens-history-month
https://people.com/human-interest/womens-history-month-facts-explainer/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqity72mxLE&t=1s
Editor: Cecilia Fiorindo
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