Happy Women’s History Month!
What Is Women’s History Month?
Women’s History Month is a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society and has been observed annually in the month of March in the United States since 1987.
Why Do We Celebrate Women’s History Month?
The month of March is a dedicated to reflection on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history. From Abigail Adams to Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks, the timeline of women’s past milestones stretches back to the founding of the United States.
The actual celebration grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens of schools, hundreds of students participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa.
A few years later, the idea had caught on within communities, school districts and organizations across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March.
International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The holiday is celebrated on the 8th of every March. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality.
The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2021 is Choose To Challenge. A challenged world is an alert world. And from challenge comes change. So let’s all #ChooseToChallenge.
Purple, green and white are the colors of International Women’s Day. Purple signifies justice and dignity. Green symbolizes hope. White represents purity, albeit a controversial concept. The colors originated from the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) in the UK in 1908.
Celebrate Women’s History Day and Month with MileStone Academy by following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter. We will be sharing compelling stories and videos honoring women who have and are paving a way for us and our future.
