Women's History Month is Celebrated in March



Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-98 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982, as “Women’s History Week.”

In 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month”. Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of every year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”

There is a list of 2019 event highlights on the official Women’s History Month website. It shows events that will take place at the National Archives, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Library of Congress, and Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Check your local library and find out if they are holding Women’s History Month events. While you are at it, see if they have a display of books about women’s history, or books by authors who are women.

The New York Public Library has e-resources for Women’s History Month. They have put together a list of resources to help you explore the unique and lesser known materials available to their patrons online. There is a wide range of resources available.

Wikipedia and the Smithsonian will hold a Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon on Feminism and the Arts. The purpose is to improve coverage of feminism and the arts on Wikipedia. All levels of technological proficiency are welcome. Those who cannot attend the event can visit Wikipedia later to see what has been added.

International Women’s Day was first celebrated on March 8, 1911. The United Nations has sponsored International Women’s Day since 1975. The theme for 2019 is #BalanceforBetter.

Related Articles at FamilyTree.com:

* The Center for Women’s History is A First of Its Kind

* March is Women’s History Month

* Things Your Female Ancestors were Not Allowed to Do

< Return To Blog

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.