"International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.
IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific."1
1. International Women's Day, accessed February 27, 2023, https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
To address the lack of education about women's history in the U.S., Sonoma County, California established a "Women's History Week" celebration in 1978 to coincide with International Women's Day on March 8. Other communities across the country soon followed their example. In 1980, President Carter issued a presidential proclamation naming the week of March 8 "National Women's History Week." The popularity of the celebration grew, and in 1987 Congress expanded upon the presidential proclamation by declaring March to be National Women's History Month.1
Each year, the Women's History Month theme is selected by the National Women's History Alliance. The theme for 2024 is "Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion." This theme honors the women, past and present, who have worked to combat discrimination in our institutions and build a more just and equal society.2
1. Molly Murphy MacGregor, "Why March is National Women’s History Month," National Women's History Alliance, accessed February 27, 2023, https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/womens-history-month/womens-history-month-history/
2. "2024 WHM Theme," National Women's History Alliance, accessed February 2, 2024, https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/2024-whm-theme/
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