The month of March can be associated with daylight savings, St. Patrick’s Day, the 2nd Semester, or even Easter, but how many people know that the month of March is National Women’s History Month? Out of the 9 people I polled, only 2 people knew what this month represented. Thankfully, Harriton recognizes the importance of this month in many ways including having a board outside our school library with many notable women who have made a difference.
On the week of March 8, 1978, Women’s History Week was established in Santa Rosa, California by the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women. Their aim was to bring awareness to the general public and help spread education of women’s often underrepresented importance in history. The date was specifically chosen as Women’s History Week in America because March 8th is also International Women’s Day.
In 1979, Sarah Lawrence College invited one Molly Murphy MacGregor, a member of the National Women’s History Alliance, to participate at the Women’s History Institute so that they could start other awareness activities, like celebrations, and try to establish a National Women’s History Week.
A year after in 1980, President Jimmy Carter officially instituted March 8th, as National Women’s History Week, wanting Americans to join in on recognizing the powerful and impactful women throughout history. Six years later, some states had already declared March to be National Women’s History Month. With this push, Congress made it official–March of 1987 would be National Women’s History Month, forever recognizing women’s history and contributions and its importance in society.
The legacy still lives on today: President Trump made a proclamation on March 6, 2025 continuing to recognize March 2025 as National Women’s History Month. In his proclamation, he stated, “Today and every day, America’s daughters ignite the dreams and develop the character of our next generation. Their contributions to America’s excellence are worthy of praise and recognition, now and forever.”
Although National Women’s Month is important, celebrating and recognizing women shouldn’t just be an occurrence one month a year! Don’t forget all the women in your life that have made a difference: grandmothers, moms, sisters, cousins, teachers, classmates, friends, neighbors, mentors, doctors, nurses, librarians–the list goes on and on. And wish them a Happy National Women’s History Month!