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As recently as the 1970s , women ’ s history was virtually an unknown topic in the K-12 curriculum or in general public consciousness . To address this situation , the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County ( California ) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a “ Women ’ s History Week ” celebration for 1978 .
The week March 8th , International Women ’ s Day , was chosen as the focal point of the observance . The local Women ’ s History Week activities met with enthusiastic response , and dozens of schools planned special programs for Women ’ s History Week . Over 100 community women participated by doing special presentations in classrooms throughout the country and an annual “ Real Woman ” Essay Contest drew hundreds of entries . The finale for the week was a celebratory parade and program held in the center of downtown Santa Rosa , Calif .
Mobilizing a Movement In 1979 , Molly Murphy MacGregor , a member of our group , was invited to participate in The Women ’ s History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College , which was chaired by noted historian , Gerda Lerner , and attended by the national leaders of organizations for women and girls . When the participants learned about the success of the Sonoma County ’ s Women ’ s History Week celebration , they decided to initiate similar celebrations within their own organizations , communities , and school districts . They also agreed to support an effort to secure a “ National Women ’ s History Week .”
Presidential and Congressional Support The first steps toward success came in February 1980 when President Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8 , 1980 , as National Women ’ s History Week . In the same year , Representative Barbara Mikulski , who at the time was in the House of Representatives , and Senator Orrin Hatch co-sponsored a Congressional Resolution for National Women ’ s History Week 1981 . This cosponsorship demonstrated the wide-ranging political support for recognizing , honoring , and celebrating the achievements of American women .
A National Lobbying Effort As word spread rapidly across the nation , state departments of education encouraged celebrations of National Women ’ s History Week as an effective means to achieving equity goals within classrooms . Maryland , Pennsylvania , New York , Oregon , Alaska , and other states developed and distributed curriculum materials for all of their public schools . Organizations sponsored essay contests and other special programs in their local areas . Within a few years , thousands of schools and communities were celebrating National Women ’ s History Week , supported and encouraged by resolutions from governors , city councils , school boards , and the U . S . Congress .
Each year , the dates of National Women ’ s History Week , ( the week of March 8th ) changed and every year a new lobbying effort was needed . Yearly , a national effort that included thousands of individuals and hundreds of educational and women ’ s organizations was spearheaded by the National Women ’ s History Project .
National Women ’ s History Month By 1986 , 14 states had already declared March as Women ’ s History Month . This momentum and state-bystate action was used as the rational to lobby Congress to declare the entire month of March 1987 as National Women ’ s History Month . In 1987 , Congress declared March as National Women ’ s History Month in perpetuity . A special Presidential Proclamation is issued every year , which honors the extraordinary achievements of American women . www . nwhp . org /