The Women Before Us

A spotlight on a group that has been present in all of history but is often underrepresented, the origins of Women’s History Month.

In 1987, March became known as Women’s History Month, as petitioned by the National Women’s History Project. The NWHP is a nonprofit organization that focuses on honoring and preserving women’s history, as seen by the creation of Women’s History Month. Now every March is a time to celebrate the achievements that women have had over history and to appreciate those close to them who have positively impacted their lives.

The need for a history month dedicated to women comes back to their accomplishments, which sometimes go unnoticed despite the impact that they’ve had on our lives. For instance, the medical syringes that protect you from diseases via vaccines are able to do that because of the innovation by Letitia Geer. Unfortunately, not many people get to know who she is, not knowing the person behind this discovery. Therefore, March is the month where we can raise awareness not only of the achievements made by women but also of how much they truly do for society, as sometimes women do not get the credit they deserve.

Additionally, Women’s History Month is a time to reaffirm the goal of bringing equality to women all over the world. Some women to this day are still oppressed in certain regions of the world. But during Women’s History Month, people can be reminded of this and encouraged to encourage change, striving for equality. Just like in 1987, we can now follow in their example and bring equality to the women who have yet to be treated equally as everyone else. Using the month of March to be more vocal about this inequality that women go through in an attempt to grab attention from the public or the media.