The Department of Anthropology at The University of New Mexico celebrates Women’s History Month in March with a website page full of resources about history, events, research, videos, and many other topics, including a synopsis of the history-making scholars at UNM.
“The goal of this webpage is to provide a variety of information and resources about the history of women in America in a single, easily accessible format that can facilitate learning, understanding, conversations and awareness,” said Jennifer George, Anthropology department administrator. “While by no means comprehensive, the page attempts to demonstrate the breadth of experiences, achievements, and history of women in America.”
George will continue to add resources to the page throughout the month.
Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, Calif. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.
In 1980, a consortium of women’s groups and historians—led by the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women's History Alliance)—successfully lobbied for national recognition. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. Subsequent Presidents continued to proclaim a National Women’s History Week in March until 1987 when Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating March as “Women’s History Month.”
To find out more about Women’s History Month, go to the Anthropology resource page.