March is Women’s History Month. It celebrates and recognizes the contributions of women to history, culture, and society, highlighting their often-overlooked achievements. It aims to promote awareness of gender equality and inspire future generations by showcasing women’s roles in shaping history.
One way to celebrate Women’s History Month is to make list of the women who have been role models in your life. Some well-known women role models are:
- Susan B. Anthony
- Rachel Carson
- Jane Goodall
- Harriet Tubman
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- Eleanor Roosevelt
- Rosa Parks
- Sally Ride
- Alice Paul
- Sojourner Truth
- Julie Child
- Serena Williams
- Jackie Kennedy Onassis
- Carrie Chapman Catt
- Michelle Obama
- Frida Kahlo
- Mary Cassatt
- Georgia O’Keefe
- Melinda Gates
- Gabby Giffords
- Ida B. Wells
- Gloria Steinem
- Billie Jean King
- Elizabeth Warren
- Barbara Walters
- Venus Williams
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Angela Merkel
Some of my role models include leaders of women’s suffrage, including Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Others are Elizabeth Warren, Jane Goodall, Sonia Sotomayor, Melinda Gates, Eleanor Roosevelt, Barbara Walters, and Mary Cassatt.
In addition, a woman I met in the League of Women Voters, Marie Cameron, was a wonderful mentor and role model to me as well as a great friend.
Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, Calif. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women planned and carried out a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.
In 1980, a consortium of women’s groups and historians successfully lobbied for national recognition. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8, 1980, as National Women’s History Week.
Later presidents continued to proclaim a National Women’s History Week in March until 1987 when Congress designated March as Women’s History Month.
The theme for this year’s Women’s History Month is “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.”
“The theme expands our understanding of sustainability beyond just environmental concerns,” the National Women’s History Alliance said on its website. “It encompasses financial sustainability, community resilience, leadership succession, and intergenerational equity.”
As always, women are leading in important ways.
Enjoy Women’s History Month.
