The History Of Women’s History Month
For years, “anonymous” has been the pen name of hundreds, dare I say, thousands of women. Women have been pushed aside and reduced to nothing. Credit for their discoveries have been snatched away by men. With Women’s History Month, we are recognizing them and all other women. However, we must not forget racialized women, LGBTQ+ women, disabled women, and any marginalized women.
Also, trans women are real women. If you don’t think so, stop reading this newspaper you terf, you aren’t welcome here.
How did Women’s History Month come to be, though?
Women’s History Month can trace its origins to the first International Women’s Day in 1911. In 1978, Sonoma, California’s school district decided to hold a Women’s Week, an event centered around the week of March 8th, International Women’s Day. During a fifteen-day long conference about women’s history held the following year of 1979, its participants learned about Sonoma County’s Women’s Week event and decided that they wanted to establish similar celebrations in their communities. All of them agreed that they would work so that this would someday become a national event. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter made a presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8th as National Women’s History Week. By 1986, fourteen states had even declared march to be Women’s History Month. In 1987, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as Women’s History Month after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project. Within 1988 and 1994, they added resolutions to make every March, Women’s History Month.
As for us Canadians, Women’s History Month was proclaimed in 1992. However, unlike our American counterparts, it was declared to be the month of October. This was specifically chosen to coincide with the celebration of the anniversary on October 18 of the decision of the court case Edwards v. Canada.
Women’s history should not be relegated to one month, but all months of the year. Women are everywhere and half of the population yet still have to work for an ounce of respect. The revolution may be coming and after all, a woman’s place is in the revolution.
By Angélique Chu
