Celebrating Women
Women’s History Month 2021: Facts and virtual activities
Contributions to history and contemporary society.
Women’s History Month is an annual whole month celebration that highlights women’s contributions to history and contemporary society. Thanks to the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission, we can celebrate Women’s History Month, which in 1978 introduced the “Women’s History Week.” In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation that declared the Week of March 8th, 1980, as National Women’s History Week, to coincide with International Women’s Day.
In 1987 the United States Congress passed the Public Law 100-9 to designate March as “Women’s History Month.” And since 1995, each president has proclaimed to honor the holiday.
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According to the National Women’s History Museum, since 1987, women’s groups and historians led by the National Women’s History Alliance have selected and published a yearly theme. Such a theme generally captures the times women are experiencing at the moment; for 2021; the alliance decided to extend the 2020 name from “Valiant Women of the Vote“ to “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced.”
How to celebrate Women’s History Month 2121
The National Women’s History Museum issued a schedule with daily readings and activities to commemorate the whole month.
March 1–5
Monday
Discover the history behind women’s history month.
Tuesday
Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!
Wednesday
Explore the online exhibit, First but Not the Last.
Learn more about barrier-breaking women who ran for office and ensured women are present wherever decisions are being made.
Thursday
Celebrate the groundbreaking “first” of a woman in national office through the visual arts!
Friday
Learn more about women’s history by virtually visiting the National Women’s Hall Of Fame.
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March 8–12
Monday
Celebrate International Women’s Day with the National Women’s History Museum! Make plans to attend this special film screening of And She Could Be Next (episode 1), including live Q&A with the filmmakers.
Tuesday
Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!
Wednesday
Learn more about the social movements in which American women participated in the fight for equality. Explore the online exhibit, Pathways to Equality.
Thursday
Discover how a pilot, an orator, and a community worker can help us understand a great leader’s qualities. Join the National Women’s History Museum in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for a virtual event, “In Justice: Historical Objects and Social Justice.”
Friday
#KnowHerName and #KnowHerStory! Learn more about the visionary leader Ida B. Wells, a key advocate for justice during the 19th century.
March 15–19
Monday
Celebrate Women’s History Month with the National Women’s History Museum! Make plans to attend this special film screening of And She Could Be Next (episode 2), including live q&a with the filmmakers.
Tuesday
Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!
Wednesday
Learn more about Latinas’ bicultural political engagement and experience in the United States. Explore the online exhibit, Representation with a Hyphen: Latinas in the Fight for Women’s Suffrage.
Thursday
#KnowHerStory! Learn more about the women’s suffrage movement in this Women’s History Minute short film.
Friday
Learn more about women’s history by virtually visiting the Maryland Museum of Women’s History.
March 22–26
Monday
What can sports teach us about women’s leadership? Read more on this topic from mountaineer Vanessa O’Brien in “Mountains have No Ceilings.”
Tuesday
Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!
Wednesday
Take a light-hearted lunch break with illustrator Marissa Valdez as she reads her most recent illustrated work, Ambitious Girl, by Meena Harris, and discusses her journey as a visual artist.
Thursday
Learn more about African American women’s leadership at the vanguard of the civil rights movement. Explore the online exhibit, Standing Up for a Change.
Friday
Learn more about women’s history by virtually visiting the Women’s Museum of California.
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March 29–31
Monday
Discover the inspiring story of Maria Tallchief, America’s first prima ballerina. Explore the online exhibit, Maria Tallchief.
Tuesday
Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!
Wednesday
Scroll through some of the presentations from the recent PBS Unladylike2020 education summit held in partnership with the National Women’s History Museum. Why do women continue to be left out of the social studies standards? How can we ensure that all voices are included in our national history?
