March is Women's History Month! Get involved by nominating a woman who inspires you or telling the story of a woman who has played a vital role in your life.
February 2023. This article is independently written by Shelby Golding. All opinions given are hers. Shelby has been certified as a personal trainer and nutritional specialist since 2007. In 2008, she found her passion for writing about these topics and hasn't looked back.
Please keep reading to learn more about Women's History Month and how to participate in our celebration of women everywhere.
About Women’s History Month
Women's History Month was started in Santa Rosa, California, by the Education Task Force of Sonoma County in California. It began as Women's History Week in 1978 on March 8th, International Women’s Day.
This movement soon spread through the country, with other communities initiating Women’s History Week celebrations in 1979. Schools planned special programs for the week to educate children about women’s history, community members participated by delivering special presentations in classrooms across the nation, and hundreds of people entered an annual "Real Woman" essay contest.
In 1980, the National Women’s History Alliance, or NWHA (then the National Women’s History Project or NWHP), successfully lobbied for national recognition of Women’s History Week. And in February of 1980, thanks to the hard work of the NWHP, President Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential Proclamation that declared the week of March 8th National Women’s History Week.
The NWHP provided resources and materials for education about women's history, and a celebration of the women this week honored, helping children throughout the United States learn more about women’s contributions to history.
This movement soon spread through the country, with other communities initiating Women’s History Week celebrations in 1979. Schools planned special programs for the week to educate children about women’s history, community members participated by delivering special presentations in classrooms across the nation, and hundreds of people entered an annual "Real Woman" essay contest.
In 1980, the National Women’s History Alliance, or NWHA (then the National Women’s History Project or NWHP), successfully lobbied for national recognition of Women’s History Week. And in February of 1980, thanks to the hard work of the NWHP, President Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential Proclamation that declared the week of March 8th National Women’s History Week.
The NWHP provided resources and materials for education about women's history, and a celebration of the women this week honored, helping children throughout the United States learn more about women’s contributions to history.
In 1987, the NWHP began a campaign to devote all of March to women’s history and successfully started Women’s History Month as we know it.
The NWHP, now known as the NWHA, continues to provide information and resources for multicultural women’s history for community organizers, parents, and educators who want to expand their understanding of how women have contributed to U.S. history.
The organization has planned, developed, and produced over 200 women’s history resource materials, including speeches, posters, guides, videos, program kits, curriculum units, and more. To date, they have responded to over 200,000 requests for information regarding women's history from students, parents, teachers, historians, authors, librarians, corporate executives, and government agencies.
Writing Women Back into History
The NWHA transformed from a grassroots organization into a national institution that has been “writing women back into history” for more than four decades. In 1980, U.S. educational texts devoted just 3% of content to women, and this group aimed to change that.
Furthermore, young girls in 1980 did not have many role models, and many children assumed that women weren't involved with anything "important."
Furthermore, young girls in 1980 did not have many role models, and many children assumed that women weren't involved with anything "important."
“We convinced Congress and the White House of the need for our nation to celebrate and recognize women’s role in history on an annual basis,” said the NWHA. “As a result of our efforts, the week of March 8th (International Women’s Day) was officially designated as National Women’s History Week. In 1987, we led the successful campaign to have the entire month of March declared National Women’s History Month.”
In 1995 and 1998, the NWHA launched nationwide campaigns to honor women's work in expanding our democracy in the U.S. They helped celebrate and raise awareness of the 75th anniversary of U.S. women winning the right to vote in 1995. And in 1998, they celebrated the 150th anniversary of the influential Women’s Rights Movement.
Later, in 2005, the NWHA organized celebrations of the 85th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote. And in 2020, they promoted the 100th anniversary of this historic event.
Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories
Caption: Civil rights march on Washington, D.C.
The theme for Women’s History Month 2023 is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.”
Throughout this month and all of 2023, NWHA plans to encourage the recognition of women who are active in any form of media from the past and present. This includes print, radio, TV, screen, stage, blogs, podcasts, and more.
The NWHA seeks to retell our history more accurately and, in doing so, to change the future. Knowing women's history gives everyone of all genders the inspiration and power to succeed and move forward in the right direction. Our history is our strength.
The human experience has been captured by a wide variety of articles, teachers, authors, songwriters, playwrights, scholars, performers, mothers, and grandmothers throughout history. Women have played an instrumental role in preserving and passing on our history, heritage, and the lessons of those who came before us. And their stories can strengthen our connections, expanding our understanding of all who share this planet with us.
Throughout this month and all of 2023, NWHA plans to encourage the recognition of women who are active in any form of media from the past and present. This includes print, radio, TV, screen, stage, blogs, podcasts, and more.
The NWHA seeks to retell our history more accurately and, in doing so, to change the future. Knowing women's history gives everyone of all genders the inspiration and power to succeed and move forward in the right direction. Our history is our strength.
The human experience has been captured by a wide variety of articles, teachers, authors, songwriters, playwrights, scholars, performers, mothers, and grandmothers throughout history. Women have played an instrumental role in preserving and passing on our history, heritage, and the lessons of those who came before us. And their stories can strengthen our connections, expanding our understanding of all who share this planet with us.
Nominate A Woman Who Inspires You!
As part of Women's History Month and the NWHP's theme for 2023, we invite you to nominate a woman who inspires you! You can choose any woman in your life, family, or circle you respect, admire, and feel motivated by with a short story about her.
We'd also love for the women in our audience to tell their own stories and what inspires YOU to be the woman you are today!
We'd also love for the women in our audience to tell their own stories and what inspires YOU to be the woman you are today!
Kailo Supports Women Everywhere
We asked our staff to get the ball rolling with stories about inspiring women from their lives. Here's what they had to share:
“The most inspiring woman in my life is my mother. She was partially paralyzed in a tragic car accident in her early 20s and told she’d never walk again. She proved her doctors wrong, going on to participate in endurance races on horseback and later summit 14ers across Colorado! No matter how hard life gets, she always finds a way to persevere, from raising me as a single mother to beating Stage 4 cancer. I’ll always feel fortunate to have such a strong woman as my mother.” – Shelby Golding
“The most inspiring woman in my life is my best friend Camile, an intelligent and fantastic person who always brought light to the places she passed through. Kind and funny, she was always supportive of everyone in her life and would do anything for her friends and family -- definitely the bravest woman I’ve known. She fought against cancer for a couple of years before she turned into a beautiful star, but she left her legacy of love and kindness to me and everyone who had the chance to meet her.” - Geovanna Amaral
“The most inspiring woman in my life is my best friend Camile, an intelligent and fantastic person who always brought light to the places she passed through. Kind and funny, she was always supportive of everyone in her life and would do anything for her friends and family -- definitely the bravest woman I’ve known. She fought against cancer for a couple of years before she turned into a beautiful star, but she left her legacy of love and kindness to me and everyone who had the chance to meet her.” - Geovanna Amaral
We invite you to give the strong women in your life some extra support this month with the gift of Kailo. The Kailo Pain Patch is a medication-free solution that's designed to relieve aches and pains in seconds. Scientists theorize that it works by interfering with your body's electrical system. In a recent clinical study, participants reported a significant increase in quality of life and a decrease in pain when switching to the Kailo Pain Patch from oral medication.
Disclaimer: Kailo should not be used if you have a pacemaker or are pregnant. Always consult your doctor or health care professional before using Kailo.
