Women’s History Month: Looking Back and Moving Forward

For more than 30 years, the month of March has been officially recognized as Women’s History Month, a time for remembering and celebrating women’s experiences and contributions throughout this country’s history.

Women’s History Month began as a local, week-long celebration in the 1970s. It became a national affair in 1980 thanks to the efforts of a group of historians and women’s organizations led by the National Women’s History Project and a proclamation by President Jimmy Carter announcing the week of March 8, 1980 as Women’s History Week.

In 1987, Congress passed a law designating March as Women’s History Month. Every president since that time has followed through with official proclamations of Women’s History Month.

Over the years, these presidential proclamations have highlighted women’s contributions across a wide range of arenas. For example, President Reagan’s proclamation in 1988 recognized women’s achievements in “business, government, volunteer activities, religious life, education, health, the military, sports, the arts, and many other areas.”

In another example, President George H.W. Bush’s Women’s History Month proclamation in 1991 identified numerous women by name. Some were historic firsts, including “Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree.” Others were artists and innovators, including author Flannery O’Connor and American Red Cross founder Clara Barton. Still others, he stated, are notable for “upholding the principles on which the United States is founded.” These include Harriet Tubman and Harriet Beecher Stowe, who “became heroines in the struggle against slavery”; Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who “also advocated the abolition of slavery as they championed woman’s suffrage”; and Rosa Parks, “whose courage and resolve in the face of bigotry gave heart to an entire social movement” against racism. 

In the first Women’s History Month proclamation of the twenty-first century, President Bill Clinton similarly singled out individual women who were influential in a variety of fields, including astronaut Ellen Ochoa; Mary McLeod Bethune, “who, with only $1.50 in her pocket, founded a school for young black women”; Margaret Chung, “the first Chinese American woman physician”; labor organizer Dolores Huerta; photographer Margaret Bourke-White; and Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins.

In addition to highlighting notable individuals, presidents Women’s History Proclamations have identified women’s participation and contributions to the United States more broadly. Twenty-five years ago, for example, President George W. Bush proclaimed for Women’s History Month in 2005 that “as mothers, sisters, and daughters, (women) bring compassion and integrity to our communities and help to teach our children the values that make our country great.” With the Iraq War still under way, he went on to note that “women today … join a long tradition of defending our nation. Today, more than 200,000 women are serving in our nation’s Armed Forces and working to defend America and advance peace and freedom.”

President Barack Obama’s 2015 proclamation a decade ago focused on women’s role in strengthening American democracy and economy. He noted that “through protest and activism, generations of women have appealed to the values at the heart of our nation and fought to give meaning to the idea that we are all created equal.” He further observed that “women are nearly half of our nation’s workers, and they are increasingly among the most skilled … This increasing participation of women in our workforce has bolstered our economy and strengthened our families.”

President Donald Trump’s Women’s History Month proclamation in 2020 also marked, in his words, “the centennial anniversary of the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution, securing the right to vote for women.” He took the opportunity to highlight how his administration “is committed to empowering all women across the nation and around the world to continue pursuing their dreams and lifting humanity to new heights.”

Finally, President Joe Biden’s Women’s History Month proclamation last year reminds us that women’s historical achievements “have strengthened our nation and opened the doors of opportunity wider for all of us,” but also that “there is more work ahead to knock down the barriers that stand in the way of women and girls realizing their full potential – in a country founded on freedom and equality, nothing is more fundamental.”

According to the National Women’s History Alliance, this year’s Women’s History Month theme is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.” It’s an opportunity to look back at women’s historical role as educators and mentors, and to think about how women can help lead the country through the challenges of the twenty-first century.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, multi-issue political organization which encourages informed and active participation in government. For information about the League, visit the website www.lwvmontcoin.org; or, visit the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, Indiana Facebook page.