The website www.History.com points out that women’s history in the United States is full of trailblazers in the fight for equality. There was Abigail Adams asking her husband to “remember the ladies” when envisioning a government for the American colonies, and suffragists such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton fighting for a woman’s right to vote. More recently, Hillary Clinton blazed the trail as the first female presidential nominee, and Kamala Harris became the first female to hold the office of Vice President. American women have come a long way in their quest to obtain equal footing, but the fight continues.
Despite the tremendous progress made in the struggle for gender equality, women continue to face violence, discrimination, and institutional barriers to equal participation in society. As these efforts continue, Women’s History Month, celebrated each March, is the perfect time to not only acknowledge the women we know as leaders, but also celebrate the women whose contributions are not as visible.
This year, the National Alliance of Women’s History has chosen as its theme, “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope.” The Alliance urges all communities throughout the United States to honor local women who contribute to bringing hope and caregiving to their families, workplaces, and neighborhoods, often at great sacrifice. They are caregivers, counselors, clerics, artists, teachers, doctors, nurses, first responders, mothers, and grandmothers. They are the individuals who listen, ease suffering, restore dignity, help make decisions for our general and personal welfare, serve as advocates for compassionate treatments and new directions in public health, and are active in women’s mental and physical health.
For more information on Women’s History Month, and ways to celebrate the women who have touched your life and community, visit www.nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org.
