The History of Women's History Month
Chloe Adiutori
Each March 1st kicks off the annual celebration of Women’s History Month as declared by presidential proclamation. This month-long celebration is meant to acknowledge and honor the often-overlooked contributions made by women throughout American history.
Did you know that Women’s History Month was originally a Women’s History Week?
The first Women’s History Week began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California led by the Education Task Force of Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women in 1978. March 8th is International Women’s Day and therefore, was chosen as the beginning to a weeklong celebration to honor women and their impact. From there, the movement began to spread across the country as smaller communities began to celebrate Women’s History Week the following year. As the celebration grew more popular nationally, the National Women’s History Project lobbied for national recognition of this celebration in 1980 with much success. President Jimmy Carter then issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th as National Women’s History Week. Subsequent Presidents pushed for this celebration each year until, in 1987, Congress passed Public Law 100-9 that designated the month of March as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, every subsequent President has issued an annual proclamation beginning this celebration in the month of March.
These celebrations and the emphasis they bring to the impact women have had on history allows for the legacies left behind by women to not be forgotten. Women such as Elizabeth Blackwell, who was the first woman to officially become a doctor, or women like Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who all were prominent leaders in the Women’s Suffrage Movement are remembered and celebrated for their contributions during Women’s History Month. For the year of 2021, the National Women’s History Alliance has decreed the annual theme for Women’s History Month to be “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced”. The women celebrated throughout the course of March are brave women who did not allow for their voices, actions, or their legacies to be silenced. The celebration of Women’s History Month allows for the celebration of women who have earned and contributed significantly to the progress and legacy of both the United States and globally to have a place in the forefront of history.