March Designated as Women’s History Month by Presidential Proclamation

   Every year March is designated Women’s History Month by Presidential proclamation. The month is set aside to honor women’s contributions in American history.

   Did You Know? Women’s History Month started as Women’s History Week.

   Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.

   In 1980, a consortium of women’s groups and historians—led by the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women’s History Alliance)—successfully lobbied for national recognition. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th 1980 as National Women’s History Week.

   Subsequent Presidents continued to proclaim a National Women’s History Week in March until 1987 when Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, each president has issued an annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.”

   The National Women’s History Alliance selects and publishes the yearly theme. The 2020 Women’s History Month theme is “Valiant Women of the Vote.” The theme honors “the brave women who fought to win suffrage rights for women, and for the women who continue to fight for the voting rights of others.”

Remembering the Ladies: Women’s History Celebration at the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Museum

By Rebecca Quam, Curator of Education Outreach

   One hundred years ago, the 19th Amendment was officially ratified, stating that “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States on account of sex.” It is fitting, then, that the DAR Museum will honor those who fought for the right to vote, as well as other women who broke down barriers, during Women’s History Month.

   Interested in learning more about Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s race around the world? Stop by the “Explorers” station and participate in your own race around the DAR Museum! You can compete to see who will take home the title of the “Fastest Explorer” around the building. Then try out the board game, Round the World with Nellie Bly, reproduced from the original 1890 game in the museum’s collection.

   Any budding scientists want to learn more about botany? Make sure you visit the “Scientists” station to learn about Ynes Mexia (1870-1938), the D.C.-born botanist who travelled the world to discover new plant species. Then test your skills at creating the best seed for dispersal! The museum’s collection includes books on botany like those Ynes studied, as it was one of the first scientific disciplines open to women.

   The Celebration is free to the public and includes many activities/stations for visitors to explore. Can’t make it this year? Plan now to join us in 2021, and you can check out our online Calendar of Events for plenty of upcoming events at the DAR Museum. We look forward to welcoming you. The Museum is located in Washinton DC at 1776 D Street NW.

Women’s Suffrage Movement Explored

   Women’s Rights in the U.S. and Colorado: The 19th Amendment is a presentation by Bonnie Scudder and Peggy DeStefano at the Hiwan Heritage Museum in Evergreen, Colorado on March 14, 10 – 12. Come learn about some of the amazing women who brought about change in our state and our country.