When Women’s History Month rolls around every March, we only have one question: Will a month be enough time to tell all the stories, and honor all the legends? The answer (as always) is no, but it’s a great chance to up our game in many different ways.
First, a little background: The first Women’s History Month began in 1981, when Congress asked the president to proclaim the week beginning March 7 as Women’s History Week. By 1987, it had grown to a full month, and since 1995 the president has made an official proclamation. The goal is to “celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields,” according to recent versions of this annual statement.
A good idea knows no borders, and soon International Women’s Day was up and running as well. It’s marked on March 8th every year, and focuses on celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women while also sending a very important message by calling attention to (and action on) accelerating gender parity. This year’s theme is Choose to Challenge, because as organizers put it, “a challenged world is an alert world, and from challenge comes change.”
Use the #ChoosetoChallenge hashtag on Twitter to see what women are up to all around the world this month! (And show your solidarity by wearing purple, green and white, the colors of International Women’s Day. Purple is for justice and dignity, green represents hope and white stands for purity (which may seem a little outdated, but keep in mind that the colors originated from the England’s Women’s Social and Political Union — in 1908!)
As a certified Woman Owned Business (WOB), we are always ready to link arms with other women, in business and in life, to celebrate our achievements, work toward equality in every area of life, and raise money and awareness for female-focused charities of all kinds. The WOB program is an initiative from WEConnect International and the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), a major non-profit organization dedicated to helping women-owned businesses thrive. As they put it, “We believe diversity promotes innovation, opens doors, and creates partnerships that fuel the economy.”
This Women’s History Month comes after one of the most challenging years in memory for women business owners. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit women-owned businesses hard, so let’s take a moment to make a plan and help them, and all the small businesses in our communities. Mark your calendars for March 17, which is Buy Women Owned Day. Not sure where to start? Here’s a gift guide. And you can also keep up with all that’s happening with the #BuyWomenOwned hashtag.
And as always, thanks to all of you for the hard you work you’re doing all day, every day!