According to History.com, the idea of celebrating women’s month began in Santa Rosa, California. A teacher named Molly Murphy McGregor spent a week teaching about women’s contributions to the nation, specifically schools around California. Students in her classrooms participated in an essay competition honoring women around them, which then led to a parade to honor women in Santa Rosa.
This parade ultimately caused communities all around the nation to begin their own women’s history celebrations. In 1978, an organization called The Education Task Force made an effort to carry out the idea and turn it into a national celebration. Gerda Lerner organized a conference on women’s history month in Sarah Lawrence College. Thanks to these meetings, activists and analysts worked together to create the week. The idea became Women’s History Week, which took place during the week of March 8th, in order to coincide with International Women’s Day.
The official Women’s History Month website states that in February 1980, Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the United states proclaimed in his presidential proclamation that the week of March 2-8 was the National Women’s History week. In August 1981, congress approved the idea and appealed to Ronald Reagan, 40th president of the US to issue a proclamation, making people celebrate Women’s History week.
Here at the Preuss School, students along with staff commemorate Women’s History month by announcing it on the daily bulletin board where all students and teachers read announcements before the day starts. The Rho Kappa club made an announcement on Women’s International Day on the daily bulletin board honoring the protests by women against child labor, sweatshops, and women suffrage in New York City. Teachers and students also like to honor and commemorate women who have changed history for others.
Joselyn Rojas Barranco (‘25) uses this month to honor the women in her own life. She announced, “I think it’s important that there’s a month that celebrates all the things women do. I admire all the women in my life, who have guided me to become the person who I am today, and the person I will become in the future.”
Mobina Javaheri (‘26) mentioned she also commemorated and honored women in her life, but she also made sure to congratulate them. She states, “I gave my mom and sister flowers and chocolates on the 8th, because it’s the official women’s history day, but I make sure to honor them in all ways possible during the month.”
It’s important to take some time and tell the women around you and congratulate them whether it be your mom, grandma, sister or friend, on National Women’s Day.
