March is Women’s History Month
14-yr. old striker, Fola La Follette, and Rose Livingston. Glass negative from the George Grantham Bain Collection, 1913. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division. Photograph shows suffrage and labor activist Flora Dodge "Fola" La Follette (1882-1970), social reformer and missionary Rose Livingston, and a young striker during a garment strike in New York City in 1913.
Today, March 8th, marks International Women’s Day (IWD), which takes place within our celebration of Women’s History Month!
International Women’s Day originated in the labor and socialist movements of the early 1900s when women were demanding better pay, safer working conditions, and the right to vote. The first iteration of IWD was National Women’s Day, observed in the United States on February 28, 1909 to commemorate the anniversary of the New York City garment workers’ march of the previous year. By 1914, IWD was declared a global celebration taking place on the same day every year to rally for change.
Today, you may have seen social media posts of people crossing or making an “x” with their arms, using the hashtag #breakthebias, or wearing purple, white, and green in solidarity with this year’s IWD theme. 2022’s campaign asks us to celebrate the political and social achievements of women but continue to fight against the everyday biases that prevent full gender equality and inclusion. Per the IWD website:
Imagine a gender equal world.
A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination.
A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive.
A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
Together we can forge women's equality.
Collectively we can all #BreakTheBias.
Women’s History Month is observed during the month of March and celebrates the historically-underrepresented contributions of women to the United States. It began in our own state, a few hundred miles north in Santa Rosa, as Women’s History Week in 1978. In 1980, various women’s groups including the National Women’s History Project (now called the National Women’s History Alliance) were inspired to call for federal acknowledgment by then-president Jimmy Carter. National Women’s History Week would become Women’s History Month, and since 1995 it has been designated yearly by presidential proclamation.
The theme for this year’s Women’s History Month acknowledges the role of women in “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope” throughout the pandemic and history and encourages us to uplift the voices of women in our own community. We can do this by celebrating all women, but especially the healthcare workers, teachers, librarians, artists, musicians, authors, female-owned and operated businesses and activists in Glendale who have been integral to our lives in the last two years.
To learn more about women’s history this month, please check out Glendale Library, Arts & Culture’s Be the Change website to find programming, all-ages book lists, TEEN G.E.N. talks, online book club, and additional resources. Highlights of the month will include displays and bookmarks at our library locations for Rosie the Riveter Day on March 21, 2022, a tribute to the efforts of labor activist Dolores Huerta premiering on our YouTube channel on March 29th at 5 p.m., and a “Votes for Women” teacup giveaway!
Booklists and Local Resources
Learn more about Women’s History Month, explore fiction, non-fiction books, films and more with our booklists.