In 1981 Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”
Today The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of women whose commitment to nature and the planet have proved invaluable to society.
March 8, 2016 is International Women’s Day and is also a part of the celebration each year. To learn more about the contributions of women and Women’s History Month a great place to start is the National Women’s History project, where students can explore this year’s theme, “Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government.” Plus, in this list you’ll find some great resources for exploring gender roles and stereotypes.
In 1980, the National Women’s History Project (NWHP) was founded in Santa Rosa, California by Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, Paula Hammett and Bette Morgan to broadcast women’s historical achievements.
The NWHP started by leading a coalition that successfully lobbied Congress to designate March as National Women’s History Month, now celebrated across the land.
Today, the NWHP is known nationally as the only clearinghouse providing information and training in multicultural women’s history for educators, community organizations, and parents-for anyone wanting to expand their understanding of women contributions to U. S. history.
National Women’s History Project: From a Grassroots Organization into a National Institution Over 30 years of “Writing Women Back into History”
In 1980, we were a group of women who noticed that women were absent from our texts. No more than 3 percent of the content was devoted to women.
Girls had few role models. Girls and boys and many adults assumed women did nothing important. This perception needed to be addressed.
We convinced Congress and the White House of the need for our nation to celebrate and recognize women’s role in history on an annual basis. As a result of our efforts, the week of March 8 (International Women’s Day) was officially designated as National Women’s History Week. In 1987, we led the successful campaign to have the entire month of March declared National Women’s History Month.
We mobilize and unify the national celebrations of Women’s History Month in March each year by choosing an annual theme.
We promote a multicultural women’s history perspective by honoring women of diverse cultural, ethnic, occupational, racial, class, and regional backgrounds.
Today our aim is as clear and simple as it was 25 years ago: to teach as many people as possible about women’s role in history.
Every year we send out 100,000 catalogs and distribute tens of thousands of women’s history posters, celebratory materials, books, videos, and curriculum resources.
Our website has over 1,000,000 visitors a year. Additionally, we answer over 2,500 e-mails and letters each year from students, teachers, reporters, and other interested individuals requesting information.
We work with schools, colleges, companies, churches, clubs, communities, government offices, unions, publishers, and the media.
Our staff has conducted women’s history training sessions and women’s historic site tours in 42 states. We have trained over 30,000 teachers and federal program managers and have delivered over 2,500 speeches.
We created the national clearinghouse to provide multicultural women’s history information, materials, referrals, and strategies. This service also provides easy access to women’s history performers, organizations, museums, and historic site.
A few famous women to remember and celebrate this 2016 Women’s History Month:
Abigail Adams
1744-1818. John Adam’s wife, she appealed to her husband to protect the rights of women. a member of the Daughters of Liberty
Jane Addams
1860-1935. Founder of Settlement House Movement. First American Woman to earn Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 as president of Women’s Intenational League for Peace and Freedom
Louisa May Alcott
1832-1888. Famous author of the book, Little Women and children’s novels.
Shirley Chisholm
First African American woman elected to Congress (NY) and later made a bid for the Democratic nomination in the 1972 presidential campaign
Emily Dickinson
United States poet noted for her mystical and unrhymed poems (1830-1886)
Dorothea Dix
Along with Clara Barton, helped to get women to work in military hospitals during the Civil War.
Amelia Earhart
First woman aviator to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic (1928)
Happy women’s history month to the amazing women of Lake County.
Wanda Goforth Harris is a resident of Hidden Valley Lake and the Recording Secretary of the Women’s Caucus, California Democratic Party
