Women's History Month
March is Women’s History Month – a time to celebrate the collective strength and influence of women who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship and leadership.
Did you know that Women’s History Month started as Women’s History Week in 1978? In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation designating the week of March 8, 1980, as National Women’s History Week. In1987, Congress passed the law designating March as “Women’s History Month.”
The 2025 Women’s History Month theme is Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations and recognizes women who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship and leadership – inspiring past and present generations.
Throughout history, the process of sharing information has been a powerful catalyst for change. An honest, open examination of new insights and knowledge can create a framework for collaboration. This promotes the well-being of groups, businesses, communities and societies.
From classrooms to boardrooms, and from grassroots movements to global initiatives, women educators and leaders have played a pivotal role in nurturing minds and inspiring transformative action.
Here are stories about just a few important women in U.S. history:
Babe Didrikson Zaharias was a remarkable American athlete who excelled in track and field, basketball, and golf. Born on June 26, 1911, in Port Arthur, Texas, she gained fame in the 1932 Olympics, winning two gold medals and one silver. She later turned to golf, becoming a founding member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and winning 10 major championships. Known for her fierce competitiveness and exceptional talent, Zaharias was a trailblazer for women in sports, inspiring athletes worldwide.
Katherine Johnson was a pioneering mathematician and physicist born in 1918. Despite facing gender and racial discrimination, she was an integral part of NASA’s early space missions. She played an instrumental role in calculating trajectories for groundbreaking missions, including the historic Apollo 11 moon landing in 1961 – the first American space flight. Katherine is most notably known for her contributions to the construction of a global communications network in 1962, which prepared John Glenn’s space mission as the first American to orbit the Earth. Her precise calculations were critical in ensuring the mission was completed safely and smoothly. Katherine Johnson is a symbol of resilience, breaking down barriers for women and minorities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). You can learn more about her in the movie Hidden Figures, released in 2016.
Sandra Day O’Connor was an American attorney, politician and jurist who was the first women to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice (from 1981 to 2006). During her term on the court, she was regarded by many as one of the most powerful women in the world. After retiring, she succeeded Henry Kissinger as the chancellor of the College of William & Mary and often spoke at conferences about judicial independence. In 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Sandra passed away in 2023; sometime after her death, Chief Justice John Roberts called her “an eloquent advocate for civil education and a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law.”
Below are some additional resources for Women’s History Month:
