Celebrating the contributions of women
We are beautiful. We are strong.
And though we are not always remembered in the history books as the backbones and pillars of society, we were and still are the same unshakable women today who raised children, passed laws and flew in to outer space. Hear us roar.
March is Women’s History Month.
The celebration of womanhood was made official in 1987, when Congress expanded it from the original week with bipartisan support in the House and Senate, according to womenshistorymonth.gov.
Through history’s lens, we remember the fighters for the Suffrage movement in the 1850s through the 1920s, such as the well-known abolitionist and activist Susan B. Anthony, among many others, who tirelessly helped push women’s voting rights into existence.
The right to vote was finally legalized for women on Aug. 26, 1920, as the 19th Amendment in the Constitution.
I can recall even more watershed moments in history where women and men were at the front lines of adversity, making equality a more tangible idea — from women breaking gender barriers in the Civil War to leading literary paths such as the first female Pulitzer Prize winner in 1921 (Edith Wharton).
There are examples of monumental courage and strength in women all over the nation and across the globe.
Yet the celebration of women extends beyond applauding the extraordinary measures of women in history and the present.
Even on campus, one doesn’t have to go far to see the leadership roles of women and how much their influences have impacted the younger generations.
For me, I see them every day as true representatives and pioneers of what it means to be a woman in the 21st century.
Renowned contemporary poet Alice Walker encapsulates this month in her poem “Women,” writing how strong the past generations were to help the future ones strive even harder.
Here are a few snippets:
“My mama’s generation/How they battered down doors and ironed starched white/shirts how they led armies/to discover books, desks, a place for us, how they knew what we must know without knowing a page of it themselves.”
For more information on Women’s “Her-story” Month Celebration, contact the Women Studies Program at 774-2391.
