By Keira Flowers
This March, we are celebrating Women’s History Month! So why don’t we dive deeper into the month and what it is about. This month recognizes the struggles women have gone through for their quest to equality. While this is also a time to reflect back on our past experiences as many women have sacrificed many things so girls today can do the things we do.
It started off as Women’s History Week back in 1972 when a school district in Sonoma, California organized a week-long celebration to recognize and educate the children about some of the important women that made an impact on the world. Two years after the week-long celebration president Jimmy Carter proclaimed a Women’s History Week to honor the women that go unnoticed. As years passed, many states declared that the week should be longer. On March 12, 1987, congress passed a legislation designating March to be the month of women’s history. Every year, the National Women’s History Alliance creates themes for Women’s History Month. Last year’s theme was “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope”, which focused more on the caregivers and frontline workers of the year as the pandemic was going on. This year's theme being, “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories”, focuses more on the women in the past and present who had been telling stories through any type of media such as podcasts, news, blogs, prints, and more.
We can’t talk about Women’s History Month without some of the successful movements and achievements made by women throughout history. In the United States of 1920, women (and many men) fought for their rights to vote, and after 70 years, the 19th Amendment stating, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex,” finally granted women the right to vote. This being with the help of Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and many more. It was said this group of women did not enjoy each other's company too much, nor did they agree on many things, but all being committed to enfranchisement helped them work together.
Women have also played a part in sports! Billie Jean King and Wilma Rudolph allowing a way for women to participate and succeed in athletics. Women have also made significant contributions in the arts, literature, music, and more with recognizable names like Maya Angelou (memorist and poet), Frida Kahlo (painter), and Aretha Franklin (singer-songwriter) leaving a lasting impact on their fields.
This month is all about recognizing and inspiring women to continue to strive and reach their full potential even if someone tries to stop them from doing so. Women should continue to fight and empower generations, and never forget to celebrate the contributions and achievements womens in all areas of the world have done to get where we are, and where we will be in the future.
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