In these unsettled times celebrations become even more important, so we take great pleasure in celebrating Women’s History Month throughout the month of March.  Hopefully we will soon reach the day when women’s history is celebrated throughout the entire year. But until then we must take this opportunity to celebrate the special women who helped make our world a better place. 

In 1980 President Carter asked Americans “to recognize National Women’s History Week [from] March 2-8, 1980.” In 1987 President Reagan issued Presidential Proclamation 5619 proclaiming the entire month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month” and calling upon all Americans to mark the month with observances to honor the achievements of American women. Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” These proclamations celebrate and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields.

Women like Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in the United States to receive a medical  degree;

Women like Abigail Scott Dunaway, who led the Oregon Equal Suffrage Association, and, despite being pelted by rotten eggs, became the first woman to vote in Oregon;

Women like Rachel Carson whose work as a naturalist led to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency;

Women like Gertrude Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel; 

And in each of our families, work places, and communities there are remarkable women doing remarkable things every day. Let’s notice, celebrate and honor them, not just in March, but every day of the year.