It is now March, which means a few things. Spring is here, midterm season is here, and Women’s History Month is here!
Women’s history month commemorates and encourages the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in American history and modern society. It began in 1981, when congress passed a publication authorizing the week of March 7 as “Women’s History Week”, but over the next five years the National Women’s History Project worked with congress to turn it into Women’s History Month, and now we get to celebrate women all month long!
But why was the National Women’s History Project so adamant about turning Women’s History Week into Women’s History Month? Well as recently as the 1970s, women’s history was hardly addressed, if at all, in K-12 school curriculums. This lack of education upset many women who had worked hard to fight for the rights and social equality for women, and the next generations need to know about it. Women’s history month has helped schools emphasize the impact that females have had in forming our nation’s history, and now that it is a norm to educate children on these topics, we use Women’s History Month to celebrate all that women have done, all that they can do, and all that they are.
This year is no exception, with International Women’s Day being celebrated on March 8th all over the world with marches, social media posts, events, and campaigns to celebrate women. 2019’s campaign theme for International Women’s Day was #BalanceforBetter, which focused on creating a better gender balance in the world, whether it be in the workplace or in society in general. The campaign will continue to run all year long, providing a unified direction to guide continuous collective action for creating a more equitable society to live in. Women’s history month is a great time to appreciate, celebrate, and learn about all of the wonderful women who have paved the way for the equitable society we live in today, so make sure to do your part this month, and every month, to empower the women around you and remember how far we have come.
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