By: BHS Features Staff
March 1, 2023
As March has arrived, so does the beginning of Women’s History Month.
In 1987, March became the month used to celebrate women and is used to celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of women from all over the world. This month is also used as a reminder of all of the struggles and discrimination that women have faced to be where they are today.
The celebration of women began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County California Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a Women’s History Week celebration in 1978. The organizers selected March 8-14 to be known as Women’s Week. Over time, the celebration caught the attention of many and began to spread throughout the country, with places all over the world using this week to celebrate the achievements of women.
In 1980, a multitude of women’s groups and historians led by the National Women’s History Project successfully lobbied for national recognition. In February of 1980, former President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8, 1980, as National Women’s History Week.
As time went on, former presidents continued to proclaim a National Women’s History Week in March until 1987 when Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as Women’s History Month. Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the president to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, each president has issued annual proclamations designating the month of March to women and women only.
Each year, Women’s History Month is given a theme by The National Women’s History Alliance. The 2023 theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” This theme recognizes “women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling, including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news, and social media.”
As we go through the month of March, the BHS Features Staff will be highlighting some of the world’s most influential and inspiring women from all walks of life. To kick off the month will be Coretta Scott King, followed by Jennifer Doudna and Phoebe Schecter, only to conclude with Chien-Shiung Wu.
We hope you enjoy Women’s History Month.
{Information for this article can be found on History.com.}
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