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Women's History Month 2021: Facts and virtual activities© Joel Muniz on Unsplash

Women’s History Month 2021: Facts and virtual activities

Contributions to history and contemporary society.


Shirley Gomez
Senior Writer
MARCH 1, 2021 2:49 PM EST

Women’s History Month is an annual whole month celebration that highlights women’s contributions to history and contemporary society. Thanks to the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission, we can celebrate Women’s History Month, which in 1978 introduced the “Women’s History Week.” In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation that declared the Week of March 8th, 1980, as National Women’s History Week, to coincide with International Women’s Day.

In 1987 the United States Congress passed the Public Law 100-9 to designate March as “Women’s History Month.” And since 1995, each president has proclaimed to honor the holiday.

International Women’s Day© GettyImages
International Women’s Day

According to the National Women’s History Museum, since 1987, women’s groups and historians led by the National Women’s History Alliance have selected and published a yearly theme. Such a theme generally captures the times women are experiencing at the moment; for 2021; the alliance decided to extend the 2020 name from “Valiant Women of the Vote“ to “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced.”

How to celebrate Women’s History Month 2121

The National Women’s History Museum issued a schedule with daily readings and activities to commemorate the whole month.

March 1–5

Monday

Discover the history behind women’s history month.

Tuesday

Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!

Wednesday

Explore the online exhibit, First but Not the Last.

Learn more about barrier-breaking women who ran for office and ensured women are present wherever decisions are being made.

Thursday

Celebrate the groundbreaking “first” of a woman in national office through the visual arts!

Friday

Learn more about women’s history by virtually visiting the National Women’s Hall Of Fame.

 U.S. Capitol Inauguration Ceremony© GettyImages
Newly sworn in U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC.

March 8–12

Monday

Celebrate International Women’s Day with the National Women’s History Museum! Make plans to attend this special film screening of And She Could Be Next (episode 1), including live Q&A with the filmmakers.

Tuesday

Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!

Wednesday

Learn more about the social movements in which American women participated in the fight for equality. Explore the online exhibit, Pathways to Equality.

Thursday

Discover how a pilot, an orator, and a community worker can help us understand a great leader’s qualities. Join the National Women’s History Museum in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for a virtual event, “In Justice: Historical Objects and Social Justice.”

Friday

#KnowHerName and #KnowHerStory! Learn more about the visionary leader Ida B. Wells, a key advocate for justice during the 19th century.

Women's History Minute: "Ida B. Wells"

March 15–19

Monday

Celebrate Women’s History Month with the National Women’s History Museum! Make plans to attend this special film screening of And She Could Be Next (episode 2), including live q&a with the filmmakers.

Tuesday

Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!

Wednesday

Learn more about Latinas’ bicultural political engagement and experience in the United States. Explore the online exhibit, Representation with a Hyphen: Latinas in the Fight for Women’s Suffrage.

Thursday

#KnowHerStory! Learn more about the women’s suffrage movement in this Women’s History Minute short film.

Women's History Minute: "Suffrage"

Friday

Learn more about women’s history by virtually visiting the Maryland Museum of Women’s History.

March 22–26

Monday

What can sports teach us about women’s leadership? Read more on this topic from mountaineer Vanessa O’Brien in “Mountains have No Ceilings.”

Tuesday

Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!

Wednesday

Take a light-hearted lunch break with illustrator Marissa Valdez as she reads her most recent illustrated work, Ambitious Girl, by Meena Harris, and discusses her journey as a visual artist.

Thursday

Learn more about African American women’s leadership at the vanguard of the civil rights movement. Explore the online exhibit, Standing Up for a Change.

Friday

Learn more about women’s history by virtually visiting the Women’s Museum of California.

Former Ballerina Maria Paschen Posing at Her Home© GettyImages
Maria Tallchief, the half Osage from Oklahoma who was America‘s first native born prima ballerina, danced her way from Rodeos and Boy Scout Roundups into global recognition.

March 29–31

Monday

Discover the inspiring story of Maria Tallchief, America’s first prima ballerina. Explore the online exhibit, Maria Tallchief.

Tuesday

Explore one of the biographies featured in the monthly “Fab Five” roundup!

Wednesday

Scroll through some of the presentations from the recent PBS Unladylike2020 education summit held in partnership with the National Women’s History Museum. Why do women continue to be left out of the social studies standards? How can we ensure that all voices are included in our national history?

UNLADYLIKE2020 and American Masters Present: Where Are the Women? Summit