March is Women’s History Month! It started in 1981 and has been going strong ever since. The Women’s History Month website is a great source for illustrations, stories, videos, historical photos, and so much more!
Women in the Arts
There’s a Chilean American artist named Cecelia Vicuña whose work explores the deep histories, coastal traditions, and the ecology of her homeland of Chile. Or how about studying someone like Dolly Parton and explore the roots of country music. Or dare to see if your child might actually enjoy a concert of classical music by Anne Sofie von Otter. Very little is known and appreciated about American Indian women’s songs and voices, even among people who are familiar with American Indian music, so why not take a musical tour of the numerous, diverse, and powerful American Indian women’s voices on Smithsonian Folkways. There’s Joy Harjo, of the Muscogee Nation, to name just one; she’s also the first Native American female to become the United States Poet Laureate
Real Life Wonder Women
How about getting your child interested in real life female heroes? One of the more well-known ones is Amelia Earhart, who is the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Rosa Parks is another great woman in history. Her refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a crowded bus in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955, and her subsequent arrest sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a pivotal event in the civil rights movement. Then there’s former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who became the first woman to represent the United States as a delegate to the United Nations. She is also credited with several inspiring quotations such as, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent,” and “A woman is like a tea bag; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.” Words to live by, right?
What will be your story?
We should always consider the role women have played in history; but take a moment to consider your role. Are you a painter, poet, sculptor, artist? Or perhaps your interests lie in politics, and you’d like to be a senator, lawmaker, or even one day the president! Maybe become an attorney like Lyda Conley of the Huron Tribe, who was the first Native American woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court. Or how about becoming a famous dancer like Anna Pavlova, or maybe a world-renowned singer like Beyonce. The point is, women have always been a force to be reckoned with. So take some time this Women’s History Month to explore your role, and the role of your daughters and just maybe you will take your place in Women’s History! https://womenshistorymonth.gov/