by Yealin Lee, photo editor
March is known as Women’s History Month. There have been countless women who have proved and fought to show that they too are equal, if not better, than men.
“Women’s History Month creates an awareness and helps to spread the appreciation of women,” senior Binnah Cha said.
Women’s History Month originally started as women’s history week and was first celebrated in Sonoma, California in 1978. A small school organized an event to honor and give recognition to women who shaped our culture and history.
The following are some women who have gained recognition throughout the years:
Margaret Bourke-White was one of the original staff photographers for Fortune, Life, and Time magazines, she is well known for her coverage of World War II.
Abigail Adams, is known as one of the most influential first ladies who worked closely with her husband, John Adams. They worked almost as equals as she was an intelligent woman, who wasn’t afraid to speak out her thoughts and ideas.
Rosa Parks was an influential civil activist who sparked the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955. She helped with the civil-rights movement and helped to make a change in history.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was known for her lectures and writings. She wrote about her passions, which included topics of feminism and the labor movement.
Harriet Tubman was a brave woman who escaped slavery and supported the abolitionist movement. She helped free many enslaved people through the underground railroad.
Many students have their own role model figures from history that have inspired them to this day.
“Frida Kahlo inspired me because in her time it wasn’t very common that a women was as progressive and independent as she was,” senior Marcela Abanto said.
Although it has been nearly four decades since women’s awareness began, many people don’t realize that March is Women’s History Month until it is announced.
“I didn’t really know about it [Women’s History Month] until I heard them announce it on the news,” senior Maryann Liu said.
The purpose of Women’s History Month is to make sure that women get the recognition for what they did just as men do. It is to spread the awareness of everything women have paid to earn their freedom.
“I think Women’s History Month is a good thing because it recognizes the accomplishment of women who have been systematically oppressed. And they should be acknowledged for what they have accomplished in society,” junior Ashley Luttrell said.
Women’s History Month signifies that women can do everything men can. Students in the school have voiced their opinions that having the month of March honoring women is a great idea to spread this theme and give acknowledgment to women in the past, present and the future.
