Women's History Month: Part 1

Throughout the decades, women have come to embody many roles. From submissive housewives to working class employees, entrepreneurs and world leaders, the female position in society has blossomed far beyond the importance of sheer motherhood. Honoring the legacy of the woman’s journey and the path today’s women continue to blaze for future female generations is precisely what Women’s History Month aims to celebrate in the month of March.

As a woman myself, I appreciate the work and determination it took to bring women’s rights to the forefront over the years. I take pride in the fact that I have choices, I can formulate my own opinions; I have the right to voice them and the power to decide who I want to be. For some woman, however, the reality of my world is merely just a fantasy in theirs. As we commemorate the lives, struggles and achievements of many of our female firsts, we can gain a better understanding of just how far the woman’s role in society has come.

Before we take a look at the variety of influential woman who have affected our future, let’s see how the celebration of Women’s History Month began.

As a Day

In the United States, Women’s History Month has come to coincide with International Women’s Day, which many countries celebrate on March 8th. While the date of the very first IWD celebration varies throughout Europe and the States, in the early 1900s, the road to gaining global recognition for woman began years before the day was ever observed. As women began to speak out against the inequality and oppression they were being dealt in society, the demand for change became too strong to ignore. With the National Women’s Day celebration in America in 1909 and the International Women’s Day first honored in Europe in 1911, the success of organizing a simultaneous commemoration for woman finally came about in 1913. It was then that March 8th was declared the global date for International Women’s Day.

As a Week

It wasn’t until 1978, in California, that the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women decided to take the 24-hour festivities of International Women’s Day and transform them into a 7-day celebration to be known as “Women’s History Week”. Coinciding with March 8th, the idea of the week long history programs began to catch on quick. As the efforts to raise awareness for women’s history in the school systems became a success, leaders of the project took to Congress to declare a national campaign for their project. And so it was that in 1980, President Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th, 1980 National Women’s History Week.

As a Month

Six years later, over 10 states had informally declared the month of March, Women’s History Month. As support for the cause seemed to spread like wildfire throughout the states, lobbying for Congress to officially declare March 1987 National Women’s History Month was a seamless transition. As quickly as it had been suggested, the focus on the achievements and milestones for women became a month long celebration in the U.S. Now that we’ve examined the journey of the movement, we can begin to explore the names and the faces of the influential women who have reshaped our history.

This is Part 1 of a 3 Part Content Series by guest blogger, Ericka Santos. Check in next Monday 3/15 for Part 2.