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.
Visit Women’s History Month to learn more.
UPCOMING
This year, the annual Stand Against Racism campaign will take place April 28 – May 1, 2022. We invite YWCA local associations, allied groups, and individuals to focus their events and organizing on the myriad of racial justice issues that impact the quality of life for communities of color. Most importantly, we invite you to join us by rallying to make change for communities of color and telling the world: