If we peek into the “her-story” books, March 8th became International Women’s Day in 1911. Yet, it was not until the mid-1980s with co-sponsorship from Maryland Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski that Congress passed a resolution establishing National Women’s History Week.
Shortly thereafter, former President Jimmy Carter signed a Presidential Proclamation declare the week of March 8, 1980 as the first National Women’s History Week later expanded into National Women’s History Month.
Interestingly enough, 2010 is the 30th anniversary of the National Women’s History Project (NWHP). In the 1980s, NWHP was a pivotal force lobbying for women’s history month. The 2010 NWHP theme is “Writing Women Back into History” to acknowledge the contributions of women because “it often seems that the history of women is written in invisible ink. Even when recognized in their own times, women are frequently left out of the history books.”
Programming and support for women’s history month celebrations have expanded globally given the many strides to recognize ordinary and notable women. So, why not visit a museum participate in a program celebrating women this month? There are numerous exhibits at the Library of Congress, National Women’s Museum of Arts, the Women’s Museum in Dallas, and the National Council of Negro Women.
If you cannot make it out to a museum, then ponder some online references as you celebrate Women’s History Month in March including the National Women’s History Project at www.nwhp.org and Women’ www.womenshistorymonth.gov.
Here are some others as well:
The Women’s Museum
National Council of Negro Women
National Museum of Women in the Arts
