National Women's History Month (United States)

National Women's History Month was initiated by the National Women's History Project (NWHP), a nonprofit educational organization founded in 1980 to "promote gender equity through education about women's diverse lives and accomplishments." The organization was an outgrowth of a 1978 California committee formed to address the lack of inclusion of women's history in the educational curriculum of K-12 schools. IN 1981, the NWHP successfully lobbied lobbied Congress to declare a Joint Congressional Resolution for "National Women's History Week." Congress expanded the celebration to an entire month in 1987.

Congressional Resolution Designating the Month of March "Women's History Month"

Whereas American women of every race, class and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways;

Whereas American women have played and continue to play a critical economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of the life of the Nation by constituting a significant portion of the labor force working inside and outside of the home;

Whereas American women were have played a unique role throughout the history of the Nation by providing the majority of the volunteer labor force of the Nation;

Whereas American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural institutions in our Nation;

Whereas American women of every race, class, and ethnic background served as early leaders in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement;

Whereas American women have been leaders, not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, and other movements, especially the peace movement, which create a more fair and just society for all; and

Whereas despite these contributions, the role of American women in history has been consistently overlooked and undervalued, in the literature, teaching and study of American History;

Now, therefore, be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that March is designated as "Women's History Month." The President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation for each of these months, calling upon the people of the United States to observe those months with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities.

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