Throughout history, women’s accomplishments and contributions to society have gone unnoticed and unappreciated. The community of Santa Rosa, California noticed this fact and designated the week of March 8 to celebrate women in 1978. The week was titled “Women’s History Week.” By the following year, Women’s History Week was celebrated across the country. Pushed by multiple female activist groups, former President
Jimmy Carter officially proclaimed the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week in 1980. Similar proclamations occurred each year until Congress passed a public law in 1987, designating March as Women’s History Month.
Each year, in preparation for Women’s History Month, the National Women’s History Alliance chooses a yearly theme. This year’s theme is Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope. This theme is in gratitude for the invaluable work conducted by medical professionals and caretakers during the pandemic. The theme also appreciates how women of all races, religions, and cultures have contributed to the act of healing and hope.
Women’s History Month can be celebrated in multiple different ways. It is celebrated in the media through television specials, podcasts, and social media posts. In every month of the year, but
especially during March, communities can read books written by female authors, support female entrepreneurs, donate to nonprofit organizations that benefit women, and much more.
When considering how to celebrate Women’s History Month, it brings up a question: How is LM celebrating Women’s History month? The majority of the school is not. When asked, many teachers and students were not aware that Women’s History Month was fast approaching, and multiple teachers in the history department were not planning anything specific for Women’s History Month. A US Government teacher shares that she feels women’s history is embedded into the curriculum, so it feels unnatural to target female individuals just during March. But other subjects such as math and science could certainly do mini lessons on female mathematicians and scientists that society has overlooked. English classes could read books by female authors or books where the message highlights women’s accomplishments. The administration could bring in feminism activists to speak about feminism, their
accomplishments and experiences, along with other women in many different fields. As a whole, LM needs to do more to educate their students, publicize Women’s History Month, and take action
towards the inequality women face today.
