Women's History Month: I've Got Something For You
by Tabby Biddle
If you are not doing it already, it's time to celebrate women!
Did you know that as recently as the 1970s, women's history was a virtually unknown topic in the public consciousness? Sadly, that might not surprise you.
It's no secret that much of what we have learned about history was written by men. As a result, women's contributions to history have long been overlooked or erased completely.
To address this glaring issue, the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women (in Northern California) initiated a Women's History Week celebration back in 1978. And guess what?
It was a great success!
The following year, one of the County Commission members, Molly Murphy MacGregor, was invited to participate in The Women's History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, which was chaired by noted historian, Gerda Lerner, and attended by the national leaders of organizations for women and girls.
Learning of the Sonoma success, the women decided they would initiate similar celebrations in their communities and school districts, as well as support an effort for a National Women's History Week.Guess what happened next?
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th, 1980 as National Women's History Week?
See what happens when women work together for a common purpose?
We can just think of the recent Women's March on Washington. This grew into the largest worldwide demonstration ever.
The same year as President Carter's proclamation, Representative Barbara Mikulski co-sponsored a Congressional Resolution for National Women's History Week 1981, along with Senator Orrin Hatch. Bi-partisan action!
There was so much support for this that a national lobbying campaign began for National Women's History Week, and eventually for Women's History Month. By 1987, March was officially declared National Women's History Month by Congress.
While I think that Women's History should be an everyday part of our education, and not relegated to a single month, I support taking this opportunity to celebrate women in a more visible way.
So beginning this month, I am dedicating a section of my site to learning and sharing about amazing women in history. I will also be posting daily to Facebook and Twitter to share the accomplishments and contributions of these women.
My intention is to make Women's History a natural part of our consciousness. No longer relegated to celebrating only during the month of March, but every day of our lives moving forward.
I know there are many of you in this community who have a similar mission. So let's do this together!
I invite you to share any of the graphics from my site. You can share them on your social media, newsletter, with friends, wherever.
(Please note: I have only a few up there now, and will be adding more each day.)
As we each share what excites us about these women, we can get a fuller picture of each woman. This will help us carry their legacy forward into the consciousness of the coming generations.
It's time to celebrate the legacy of the women who came before us, and the women who continue to work today for women's equality, yourself included!
What women will you celebrate this month?
Tabby Biddle, M.S.Ed., is a leading voice and advocate for advancing women’s leadership and the human rights of women and girls. She is the author of the bestselling book, Find Your Voice: A Woman’s Call to Action, and a Leadership Ambassador with Take The Lead, a non-profit organization committed to creating gender parity in leadership across all sectors by 2025. Learn more at tabbybiddle.com.