Every year, March is designated Women’s History Month by presidential proclamation. The month is set aside to reflect on and honor the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history.
Women’s History Month started as Women’s History Week . . .
The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.
In 1980, an assortment of women’s groups and historians—led by the National Women’s History Project (now Alliance)—successfully lobbied for national recognition.
In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. Eventually Congress passed resolutions calling for an annual Women’s History Month for which the President issues an annual proclamation.
Women’s History on Watercress Words
In this post I’ve created links to posts on this blog about women who made those contributions and sacrifices. If you don’t have time to read all of them in one sitting, bookmark this page to come back to. Better yet, share it on your social media feed so your friends can find it too.
Women physician astronauts-exploring health in space
Perhaps one of her favorite “honors” was appearing in an episode of Star Trek. Dr. Jemison became the first real astronaut to be in Star Trek: The Next Generation. She played Lieutenant Palmer in the episode, “Second Chances.”
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How Women Changed and are Changing Healthcare
The first woman graduate of a United States medical school was born in Bristol England in 1821. Elizabeth Blackwell came to this country as a child and originally had no interest in medicine. But when a dying friend told her, “I would have been spared suffering if a woman had been my doctor”, she found…
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Dr Jane Goodall-messenger of hope
Dr. Goodall recommends buying locally grown, organic foods exclusively. She advocates a meat free diet. She urges us to waste less. She believes we need to “take back food productions from large corporations.” By doing so, we will be healthier and so will our planet.
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Avenging Kayla Mueller’s shining spirit
At only 26 years old, Kayla had already traveled to India, Israel, Palestine and Syria on humanitarian endeavors and in Arizona worked at a women’s shelter and with AIDS patients
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How the Oklahoma City bombing changed 4 women’s lives
Twenty three year old Madison Naylor was among the infants being cared for at the YMCA daycare located next door to the federal building at the time the bomb exploded. The building was heavily damaged but she and the other children survived.
Keep readingsharing the HEART of Women’s History Month
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I took this post’s Featured Image in Washington, DC last summer. The statue is the Vietnam Women’s Memorial.
Dr Aletha
watercress words by Dr Aletha 
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