Women’s History Month can trace its roots back to 1857. During this time, women from various New York City factories protested poor working conditions. The first Women’s Day celebration in the U.S. was March 8, 1909. The catalyst for Women’s History Month began as a local week-long celebration in Santa Rosa, California. In 1978, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women planned a celebration that corresponded with International Women’s Day, and the movement took off across the country.
Women’s groups and historians lobbied for national recognition in 1980. In February of that year, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. Congress designated the entire month of March Women’s History Month in 1987.
Although gender is a socially constructed concept that changes and evolves personally throughout each of our lives, there is no shortage of nuanced and dynamic conversations to be had about women, gender, inequality, and injustice. Throughout history, women have been erased and excluded, and women of color, transgender women, and queer women have been subjected to even more harmful oppression than their white, cisgender sisters.
To truly embrace and understand the value of Women’s History Month, we must approach our celebrations with intersectionality and intention. With that in mind, Women’s History Month is both a time to confront the ongoing injustices that plague women around the world — and an invitation to celebrate and rejoice in our shared humanity as women.
Multicultural women’s history takes a bold new look at all that has gone before and tells the story of our shared past from a very different perspective. It does not rewrite history. Instead, women’s history presents an expanding version of history that recognizes and honors the accomplishments of women.
The Women’s History theme for 2023 is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” From the earliest storytellers through pioneering journalists, our experiences have been captured by a wide variety of artists and teachers. These include authors, songwriters, scholars, playwrights, performers, and grandmothers throughout time. Their dedication and shared desire to give voice to the voiceless are critical to keeping us informed, entertained, and aware.
Women have long been instrumental in passing on our heritage in word and in print to communicate the lessons of those who came before us. Women’s stories, and the larger human story, expand our understanding and strengthen our connections with each other.