History isn’t just something we study; it’s something we are currently writing. March is Women’s History Month which is a whole month dedicated to honoring women’s contributions in American history, culture, and society.
Women’s History Month did not start as a month at all, it started as a day on February 28, 1909, then it became a week in 1978, then finally became a month in 1987.
“The idea of having a women’s history month is to remind people of how things were so we don’t do that again.” Principal Smith shares. There’s been so many things in history that shouldn’t be repeated and forgetting women’s accomplishments and contributions is one of them.
In the early 19th century and before women were limited on things like working, being a part of the army, having their own credit, or even things like wearing pants. These barriers were placed on all women of the time. However, we now use March as a month to honor the women before us and those currently that continue to break down inequalities.
“A woman I idolize is Whoopi Goldberg. She is not only a black woman who has come from an underprivileged background. She also overcame dyslexia and a high school dropout status to pursue theater. With that she went on to gain a grammy for the best comedy award in 1985 at the age of 30,” shares Samuel Cain.
Over the years women in the generations before have paved the way for us today. On August 18th, 1920 the 19th Amendment was finalized. This was where the U.S. The Constitution prohibits the denial or abridgment of the right to vote on the basis of sex. With the help of the women’s suffrage movement this gained women of that time equal rights. While black women were excluded or ignored by the mainstream white-led women’s suffrage movement, Black women organized their own independent suffrage clubs, leveraged community institutions like churches and sororities, and fought for universal suffrage. Many Black women continued to protest and attempted to vote in the South, where they were often ignored even after 1920.
“A woman I look up to is my sister. At a young age she took on the challenge of playing a mother and a sister role. Watching her face this adversity with taking care of our mom and myself inspired me tremendously. Women in my work force are often looked down on based on the fact that I’m in a male dominated industry. This makes me strive to achieve certain goals. I feel like I wouldn’t have to if I was the opposite gender,” shares Lakisha Feaster.
Women throughout history have faced so much diversity and challenges based on stereotypes and opinions of others. This why this month should be highlighted in things like schools and their curriculums because it is and will forever be a part of our history.
