Did you know today is International Women’s Day and the month of March is Women’s History Month?
To know about Women’s History Month, you must look at International Women’s Day (IWD). International Women’s Day is celebrated annually on March 8 as a “global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.” This is a day of activism to continue fighting for women’s equality.
The idea of an International Women’s Day was brought up by Clara Zetkin during the second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, Denmark and was honored in 1911 by Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark. The United Nations began acknowledging it in 1975 and afterwards other countries along with the United States adopted it.
- IWD 2023 campaign's hashtag is #EmbraceEquity
- Colors: White, purple and green are the colors associated with the day
Before it was Women’s History Month, Women’s History Week was celebrated first during the week beginning March 7, 1982, with Congressional approval through Pub. L. 97-28 in 1981. You can watch this short video (2:32) from the National Women’s History Museum to learn more about how former Legislative Aid Susan Scanlan assisted Maryland Representative Barbara Mikulski in this development.
Women’s History Month was passed in 1987. The National Women’s History Project, now known as the National Women’s History Alliance, lobbied Congress to designate March as Women’s History Month. As shared on their website, “NWHA is known nationally as the only clearinghouse providing information and training in multicultural women’s history for educators, community organizations and parents - for anyone wanting to expand their understanding of women contributions to U.S. History. “
The 2023 theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories”
In recognizing International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, here are a few things to check out:
"Feminism" and Women of Color | National Conversations on #RightsAndJustice
The Women’s Center at SUNY Oswego is a student organization created more than 40 years ago with a mission to provide education, support and advocacy to the Oswego community. Their Instagram account is @womencenter_oz, and upcoming events include the Women’s Center Charity Ball at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 25.
Gender and Women’s Studies Program: This interdisciplinary major is designed to develop a broad understanding of the study of gender and women, investigate women's contributions in all areas of academic scholarship and explore the relationship between cultural definitions of feminine and masculine behaviors and the realities of women's and men's lives. Visit the program's website to learn more.
CenterState CEO Virtual Event: Women and Community Engagement March 15, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.; registration costs $15. Use this link to learn more and to register.
-- Submitted by the Triandiflou Institute for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Transformative Practice