Women's History Month celebrated worldwide

Posted April 2021

By Thuyu Gedi

Staff Reporter

Women around the world rejoiced and celebratde Women’s History Month, International Women’s Day being the highlight of the month of March.

March was officially recognized as Women’s History Month by the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, and Congress. The month is dedicated to celebrating women, having meaningful discussions about misogyny, and continuing the ongoing fight for women’s liberation.

With the lockdown in place, Women’s marches could not take place, which led to a spark in creativity. On social media, women shared photos of themselves and their friends, including writing paragraphs of appreciation. Female Instagram social media influencers brought their followers Starbucks' gift cards to show appreciation.

Working class women, Black/nonwhite women, lesbian/bisexual women, women with disabilities, and other marginalized classes of women amplified their voices and shared their unique struggles that their identities subject them to. Solidarity amongst women has proven vital to tear down patriarchy.

The David Douglas School District celebrated Women’s History Month in its own unique way. The district created and shared a Google Slides presentation (below), presenting statistics of women’s contributions, including contributions in the district. Despite the fact that 54% of David Douglas’s educators are women, only 16% of superintendents nationwide are women. There’s a shortage of women at the top positions. The presentation slides presented ways International Women’s Day is celebrated in other countries. In Slavic cultures, for example, International Women’s Day is a day of rest and appreciation for women. One slide shared the story of Adriana Govea Mendoza, a volunteer in the David Douglas community. The remaining slides shared resources on how to support Asian American and Pacific Islander Women during these tough times.

Despite making up 50% of the population, women are considered a minority group because they are so underrepresented and have been pushed out of spaces by men, through sexual violence, intimidation, and coercion. History has shown that it’s essential that women are allowed access into spaces, and factors that make them want to leave are diminished. Traditionally, women have not been appreciated year round, not just for their labor, but for the fact that they’re people deserving of respect, tenderness, and kindness.