Women's History Month - Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories

As we round out March as the observance of the 2023 National Women’s History Month, I wanted to share some history and some of my own thoughts.

History

Using March 8, International Women’s Day as point of reference, in 1980 the National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA) successfully advocated to the US Congress to extend the single day to National Women’s History Week. They again successfully campaigned to declare March 1987 as National Women’s History Month. This movement was brought out of the noticeable lack of women included in the written history of United States, despite well-known accounts of women contributing in ways of national importance from before our founding.

Today, women are still facing many of the same social and political barriers they have encountered for decades. As we look at women’s history, it is important to remember that rights and civil liberties gained in the not-so-distant past were not applied to all women equally. Those disparities especially persist today in many ways for Black, Indigenous and Latina women in access to healthcare, fair competitive wages, and access to education.

2023 Theme

The theme this year is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” The NWHA describes this as a “recognition of women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, and more. The timely theme honors women in every community who have devoted their lives and talents to producing art, pursuing truth, and reflecting the human condition decade after decade.”

Reflection

I have been fortunate to grow up and live in areas of the country where vibrant arts scenes thrive, and have been moved by the women artists, painters, sculptors, broadcasters, dancers, poets, authors, and masterful storytellers who bring life to community through the arts. Too many to recount here, but we are all better off for having them with us in our communities. These women are the guardians of our collective stories, and often times warriors protecting opportunities for the future women who come after them.

For National Women’s History Month, join me in recognizing the outstanding women who have shaped our past, and acknowledge the women who continue to lead and inspire our world today.