Happy Women’s History Month!
Each March, we celebrate the contributions women have made to American history, achievements which all too often have gone unrecognized.
Women’s History Month first began as Women’s History Week, to coincide with International Women’s Day, which falls on March 8. In 1987, the U.S. Congress, after petitioning by the National Women’s History Project, passed a resolution that authorized the President to proclaim March Women’s History Month. Congress continued to pass such resolutions in subsequent years, and each president since 1995 has proclaimed March Women’s History Month.
The theme of this year’s Women’s History Month, according to the advocacy group National Women’s History Alliance, is “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” in honor of frontline workers who continue to offer vital support through the ongoing pandemic.
Throughout the month, numerous local and nationwide organizations will run programing and events commemorating the contributions women have made, and continue to make, to American history. The Library of Congress, Smithsonian, National Archives, and other national heritage and preservation institutions will be hosting a series of virtual round table discussions and other events throughout the month, including a posthumous presentation of the National Museum of American History’s “Great Americans” medal to late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
The New York City Parks and Recreations Department will also offer a series of in-person events across the city’s boroughs and in New Jersey. Local museums, libraries, and historical societies across the city will offer their own rosters of family-friendly events, commemorating women in all sectors of society, from the sciences to the arts to the unsung heroes of everyday life.
To celebrate Women’s History Month this month, and throughout the year, wherever you are, check out local listings for events in your area.
What Do You Think?