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. Women’s History Month 2024 will take place from Friday, March 1 – Sunday, March 31, 2024.
The U.S. and other countries, including the U.K. and Australia, are celebrating Women’s History Month in March, featuring International Women’s Day on March 8.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is a holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women’s rights movement. IWD gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. Spurred by the universal female suffrage movement, IWD originated from labor movements in North America and Europe during the early 20th century.
The earliest version reported was a “Women’s Day” organized by the Socialist Party of America in New York City on February 28, 1909. This inspired German delegates at the 1910 International Socialist Women’s Conference to propose “a special Women’s Day” be organized annually, albeit with no set date;[8] the following year saw the first demonstrations and commemorations of International Women’s Day across Europe. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, IWD was made a national holiday on March 8; it was subsequently celebrated on that date by the socialist movement and communist countries. The holiday became a mainstream global holiday following its promotion by the United Nations in 1977.
Women’s History Month started as a local week.
Women’s History Month began as a local week-long celebration in Santa Rosa, California in 1978, according to the online National Women’s History Museum. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women planned the week and timed it with International Women’s Day.
There is an annual theme for Women’s History Month
The National Women’s History Alliance sets a theme for the month every year. This year’s theme is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.”
“Women are like teabags. We don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), political figure, diplomat, activist, First Lady.
“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity,” – Amelia Earhart (1897-1937?), aviation pioneer.
“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” – Rosa Parks (1913-2005), civil rights activist.
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” ― Maya Angelou, (1928-2014), memoirist, poet, civil rights activist.
“I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine.” ― Emily Dickinson
“I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” ― Harper Lee
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