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Women's History Month originated from a week-long celebration of women's contributions, sacrifices, and successes to United States history. The concept of this month was first created in 1978 by a group of Sonoma, California, educators who realized there was an absence of women's accomplishments and women role models in history books. They decided to take matters into their own hands by encouraging their students to do outside research about influential women in history. This led to a week-long celebration of women within the school district and eventually caught attention across the country. 

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8th (International Women's Day) National Women's History Week. Within the same year, the same educators who started the celebration created an organization called the National Women's History Project, encouraging the increase in celebrating and honoring women. In 1987, The National Women's History Project petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration of women from a week to a month. Since then, Women's History Month has served as an annual opportunity to honor the achievements and struggles of women throughout history, fostering awareness and appreciation for their contributions in shaping the world we live in today. 

To carry on this legacy, let's take this month to learn about influential women, their accomplishments, and their contributions to the society in which we currently live.  

Click here for the National Women’s History Museum 
Click here for the National Women’s History Alliance (formerly the National Women’s History Project). 
Click here for the Women’s History Month website.