March is designated as Women's History Month

The origins of Women’s History Month can be traced to a celebration that was held in Santa Rosa, California in 1978 when the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women created a “Women’s History Week.” It was meant to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement quickly spread across the country, and other towns and communities began their own Women’s History Week celebrations.

The National Women’s History Project lobbied congress for the week to be recognized by the entire nation. In February of 1980, President Jimmy Carter produced the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the week of March 8, 1980, as the National Women’s History Week. In his proclamation, Carter wrote, “Too often the women were unsung, and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength, and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.”

Following President Carter, other presidents continued the process of proclaiming National Women’s History Week in March. It was not until 1987 that congress passed a public law which designated that the entire month of March would celebrate women’s history and be known as “Women’s History Month.”

The National Women’s History Alliance selects the yearly theme recognizing women during the month of March. The theme for 2024 celebrates “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.”

According to the NWHA, “The theme recognizes women throughout the country who understand that, for a positive future, we need to eliminate bias and discrimination entirely from our lives and institutions. They (the women) know that people change with the help of families, teachers, and friends, and that young people in particular need to learn the value of hearing from different voices with different points of view as they grow up.”