“Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors”
Abigail Adams
March 1 marked not only the beginning of a new month, but also the beginning of Women’s History Month, with Women’s Day being on March 8. It found its roots in 1981, when Congress passed Public Law 97-28, requesting the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982, as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Public Law 100-9, designating the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.” To this day, the Month is an annual occurrence. This month is meant to commemorate and celebrate the contributions of women to American history. You can find more information about the month here and here.
I wanted to gauge how women themselves felt about this month, and these are the responses I’ve collected. “It's very nice that we get a whole month to ourselves so that people can learn about the difficulties we had to go through in order to reach where we are today, but we also still have a very long way to go,” says Vivienne Lupu (sophomore, social work). She hopes that people realize it shouldn’t be a performative thing, where people only care about women’s rights for the month and then continue discriminatory behavior. “Overall, I hope that this is not only an empowering month but an educational one for everyone as well,” she says. Dr. Stephanie Carpenter, professor of History, has also expressed her views on the month. She has spent a lot of time studying and engaging with American women’s history. She discussed with me the initially exclusive nature of the month, which only targeted the accomplishments of heterosexual white women. She continues, “If we look at women's history in a much more diverse manner and try to be inclusive to all women, the use of this month is to showcase these contributions in a more complete way.” She ended with an important thought, saying, “Some people think that they have to celebrate women for only one month, but there should be a way to incorporate women in studies throughout the year in a more inclusive way.”
As a woman, I am deeply warmed by the efforts put into this wonderful celebration. We are honored by the idea that our experiences and contributions are seen and acknowledged. Nonetheless, there is a palpable unease in women today, and the beginning of March brought with it an influx of saddening news for women’s history. Bills are being proposed targeting the removal of women’s rights: see South Carolina's House Bill 3549, aiming at introducing the death penalty for women who go through with an abortion, which would be considered a “homicide.” Furthermore, in other parts of the world, the restraints on women’s education in Afghanistan are a terrible tragedy, as women cannot attend university anymore, and some even high school. This is not to mention the restrictions regarding in what way and in which places women can appear in public: women have been denied access to parks, gyms, and certain workplaces, and have been restricted from traveling outside and even within Afghanistan. A stricter dress code has been enforced, as women are directed to be fully covered, including their faces. On the side of social media, there is a TikTok trend, “April 24,” which is jokingly (and sometimes not jokingly) referred to as “National Rape Day.” It is used to openly talk about sexually assaulting women on that specific date, with posts saying, “Females, you have been warned,” or “I have been watching you. April 24th is game day. Wear something nice!” While there might not be any proof of a rise in sexual assault cases during this day, this does not excuse the fact that children as young as middle schoolers are partaking in this trend and “joking” about a very serious and triggering issue.
I do not write this to sadden or create a pessimistic view of the woman’s world today, but instead to remind everyone that we as women are still fighting for our rights every single day: trying to be accepted as equal instead of being objectified and cast to the side. We should all remember to treasure individuals for their own raw selves and the history of marginalization they have and still go through, and not necessarily solely for their accomplishments. Do not make the mistake of assuming that you should treat women with respect only during March, but make it a life-long aim to eradicate any inequality and hatred towards all marginalized groups through educating yourself and learning to love.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.