March is National Women’s History Month

The history of women seems to be written with invisible ink, according to the National Women’s History Project. Their goal is to make that ink readable for all to see.

The theme for this year and especially for March, which is National Women’s History Month, is "Writing Women Back into History."

The idea for a week to recognize women’s history originated in 1978 with the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women. In 1979, leaders of women’s organizations gathered at Sarah Lawrence College, the first institution to offer a Master’s Degree in Women’s History.

One of the things coming out of that Institute was a resolution offered by Molly MacGregor, the representative from the Sonoma County Commission. This resolution called for the creation of a National Women’s History Week.

 In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued a proclamation declaring a National Women’s History Week. In 1987, the National Women’s History Project asked Congress to expand the celebration to the entire month of March.

The 30th anniversary of the National Women’s History Project takes place in 2010. Various themes through the years have included Women Change America, Women Pioneering the Future, Women Taking the Lead to Change the Planet and Women’s Art: Women’s Vision.

Each year the history project selects honorees whose lives and work exemplify that year’s theme. Previous honorees include:

 * Sandra Day O'Connor: First woman on the Supreme Court

 * Amelia Earhart: Aviator and first woman to fly the Atlantic solo.

 * Harriet Tubman: Rescued many slaves, scouted for the Union Army.

 * Jane Addams: Activist and founder of Hull House in Chicago. Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

 * Sacajawea: Frontier guide.

 * Dorothea Dix: Social reformer who instituted reforms for metal institutions and jails.   

 *Georgia O’Keeffe: Artist

 * Wilma Vaught: First woman to be a general in the USAF.

By Patricia Baillargeon