March for Women’s History

March 1 officially starts the month of Women’s History. The dedication to our history first started in 1987. Before that, women only got a day dedicated to their impact on history, International Women’s Day, which has been celebrated on March 8, 1975. That year was also designated as International Women’s Year and the holiday has been celebrated ever since.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter decided to dedicate the entire week of International Women’s Day to create Women’s History Week. This idea originated from the school district in Sonoma California who first dedicated the week in 1978. The idea of dedicating an entire month first came from a local celebration in Santa Barbara.

Each of the 31 days represents a specific woman’s achievements to the movement, events, and dates, a different woman each day who created history in America. “Historically, the combination of purple, green and white was the original symbol to represent women’s equality,” according to www.fortune.com.

A type of celebration called The National Women’s Month, is hosted in March by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW). This celebration highlights activities that “are meant to empower women.” This event is one of many hosted around the world on March 8, International Women’s Day.