“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.” – Marsha P. Johnson

      Women’s History Month is a celebration of the many contributions women have made all throughout history, culture and society. It is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history — from Abigail Adams and Susan B. Anthony to Sojourner Truth.

      As recently as the 1970s, women’s history was a virtually unknown topic in the school system, or even to general public knowledge. To address this, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women initiated a “Women’s History Week” celebration for 1978. 

      The first steps toward success came in February, 1980, when President Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation, declaring the week of March 8th, 1980, as National Women’s History Week. Subsequent Presidents continued to proclaim it as National Women’s History Week until 1987, when Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as “Women’s History Month”. Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to finally proclaim March of every year as Women’s History Month. 

       Important women all throughout history have contributed to the development of the nation, one of those women being Marsha P. Johnson. Marsha “Pay It No Mind” Johnson was an activist, performer, and survivor. She was a transgender woman and a prominent figure in the Stonewall uprising of 1969. 

       You can continue to use the rest of this month to learn more about women’s history and how to honor women. You can learn about awareness of issues women still face today, post on social media to spread awareness of women’s history, like support a women’s nonprofit, or even something as simple as talking to women in your community about women’s history.