Alison Wang '25
Women’s History Month, a month dedicated to the celebration of women’s contributions to society throughout history, celebrates women’s contributions in a world where they are often overlooked and taken for granted. This annual month-long celebration began as a week in 1978; In Santa Rosa, California, the first Women’s History Week was set on the week of International Women’s Day, March 8th. This celebration soon spread across America with the help of women organizations lobbying for national attention, and was eventually issued by President Jimmy Carter as National Women’s History Week. Carter spoke about the importance of recognizing the legacy of the unsung heroes of the country, and of the world – women. Later, Congress legally designated March as Women's History Month in 1987. The organization that worked for getting Women’s History Month recognized by the officials in 1987, the National Women’s History Alliance, is still prominent in its work towards spreading the message of this annual celebration for women. Every year, the National Women’s History Alliance chooses a theme for the celebration. This year, the theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories."
From history to the present day, women have always been significant in the continuing of heritage as brilliant storytellers. This year’s theme encourages acknowledgment of women’s narrative and recording. There stands great importance in the writing of history, and women’s participation in that is being highlighted by this year’s theme. The power of telling a story has long been in the hands of men, but women throughout history have fought for their own narrative through recording and passing on stories.
The National Women’s History Alliance encourages local participation in the celebration, and Cate School’s Women’s Forum Club(WoFo) organized events for the school to engage in this celebration. WoFo spread the message of celebrating for the women storytellers who contributed to the paving of our society and women’s regaining of control over narrative in modern times, while also turning the Mesa’s focus specifically on the stories of women with intersectional backgrounds through activities, meetings, and a movie night. Whether it's a backpacking hike to Bee Camp, a book club meeting over Girl, Women, Other, an affinity space meeting, or a movie night, you can always find your fit among these various activities for an elevated participation and experience during Women's History Month!
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