A brief narrative of Women's History Month

Through March, women all over the United States have the opportunity to celebrate Women's History Month.  

According to the National Women’s History Museum, Women's History Month originally started as Women's History Week in 1978 as a community celebration in Santa Rosa, California.

It was also set for the week of Mar. 8 to also commemorate International Women's Day. 

In 1979 the local celebration began to spread across the country with other communities joining in and beginning their own Women's History Week traditions. 

A large assembly of women’s groups and historians were successful in advocating for national recognition and in 1980 President Jimmy Carter “issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8, 1980, as National Women’s History Week.”

After President Carter established women's history week, later presidents continued endorsing National Women’s History Week until Congress passed Public Law 100-9, making March officially “Women's History Month.”

This year's theme is “Valiant Women of the Vote,” which was chosen in order to honor "the brave women who fought to win suffrage rights for women, and for the women who continue to fight for the voting rights of others."