By La’Niya Jones
March is known as Women’s History Month. It is a time to honor and celebrate the contributions of women throughout U.S. history. But what is the origin of this beloved month? How did it grow into what it is now?
The creation of Women’s History Month dates back to 1978 in Santa Rosa, California, before it was even a month. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Statues of Women created a local celebration in 1978 titled Women’s History Week. They saw the lack of women’s celebration and education in the classroom and really all over, so they decided to make a change. The celebration would take place during the week of March 8.
This week was chosen to connect with International Women’s Day, which was March 8.
The celebration was so big and powerful that other communities across the country threw together their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year. This celebration grew as schools all over the country planned special programs and activities to celebrate, with community women hosting presentations and an annual “Real Woman” essay contest.
The local celebrations would eventually become a national recognition in 1980, when the National Women’s History Project would lead a group of women and historians to make it happen. The National Women’s History Project is now known as the National Women’s History Alliance.
The same year, Representative Barbara Mikulski and Senator Orrin Hatch co-sponsored a resolution for National Women’s History Week. In February of 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed a presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8, 1980, as National Women’s History Week.
The following years, until 1987, every president would continue to proclaim a National Women’s History Week.
By the time of 1986, 14 states had already declared March as Women’s History Month. This action and movement were used as a turning point for Congress and their next decision. In 1987, Congress passed Public Law 100-9, which made March known as Women’s History Month.
Between the years of 1988 and 1994, Congress would add additional resolutions requesting that the president proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month.
Since then, March has been officially titled Women’s History Month. Each year, the National Women’s History Alliance picks a yearly theme for Women’s History Month; this year’s theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” It will focus on all women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media.
