THROUGHOUT history, women have accomplished many things. However, their accomplishments were under-recognized until around 1978. In 1978, a school in Sonoma, California began to acknowledge women’s contributions to culture, history & society with a week-long celebration. It soon grew to be a month-long celebration of women’s contributions.

Within a few years of the celebration in California, Congress was petitioned to expand the week-long celebration to the entire month. After the celebration became official, other countries joined in and adopted similar events. In 1992, Canada began to celebrate women’s history, as well. In 2000, Australia began to hold its own version of Women’s History Month, too.

“It’s a shame that we categorize a specific month where we recognize women. We should be recognizing women all the time,” Ms. Robinson said. Politicians organize the celebration of races, genders, heritages, disabilities, etc. into specific months, days, or weeks. Those things deserve recognition all the time.

Leadership roles in business and politics are mainly filled by men. The recognition of women’s history helps spark motivation for women to become leaders.

National Women’s History Month is about recognizing women and their achievements. Each year, many women are honored for their accomplishments. Also, each year, the National Women’s History Alliance sets a theme. This year, the theme is “Visionary Women: Champions of Peace & Nonviolence.”

“This year, we honor women who have led efforts to end war, violence, and injustice and pioneered the use of nonviolence to change society,” as stated on the nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org website. Women have played important roles in many historical movements. For example, women have participated in anti-slavery organizations, temperance leagues, and moral-reform societies. National Women’s History Month recognizes these important roles that women have served.

“People don’t pay enough attention to women’s history. It’s important to talk about women and their achievements,” Kahley Haslam (11) said. National Women’s History Month is important because it is not just about the big achievements of women, but their daily accomplishments as well. National Women’s History Month brings light to women and their contributions.

“It’s important to highlight women in history. Within our society and education, the focus has been more on men rather than women,” Mary Newton (12) said. In a male-dominated society, it’s important to recognize women. It’s also important to motivate and help women to take more leadership roles.

National Women’s History Month helps commemorate women and their achievements. The celebration brings awareness to women’s history. That’s why it’s important to celebrate National Women’s History Month. It brings hope to women who want to change the world. Women in history who have achieved great things are examples to today’s women that they can achieve great things as well.

Today, the celebration is full of different activities. It includes, “…parades, lectures, health screenings, art exhibits and other activities that highlight women’s contributions to society,” the Atlanta Journal-Constitution said. The celebration has grown. What once started in a small school in Sonoma, California is now celebrated across the country.

Here at Granger, National Women’s History Month is not celebrated. “I think we should have a week-long celebration where we bring back female alumni that are great examples for the young women here,” Robinson said. By having a women’s history week at Granger, it would bring awareness to the remarkable women in history and of our school.

“We should have lunch activities to get people to be aware of women’s history,” Haslam said.

Bringing light to women’s history could help encourage today’s women to achieve great things as well. “Women’s history is women’s rights—an essential, indispensable heritage from which we can draw pride, comfort, courage, and long-range vision,” Gerda Lerner said, as quoted by President Jimmy Carter when proclaiming the first National Women’s History Week.

By making women’s history known, more women will feel inspired to become great leaders.

To celebrate National Women’s History Month, National Today recommends writing a letter to your female role model, having a girls’ lunch with family and friends, and studying up on women’s history. By spreading the word about National Women’s History Month, it will change many lives. It will empower more women to take on positions as leaders and role models for young women.