Hi friends! As you probably know, March is Women’s History Month, and here at A Little Bit Tart, A Little Bit Sweet, we always try to give a nod to the Smithsonian Heritage Months. You probably also know that it’s low key or not depending on how interested people are in participating in any given month. That’s all there is to it. Of course if you ever have suggestions of people or you yourself would like to guest post (please!) – do let me know! <3

A little history. Women’s History Month was initiated by the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission as a week in 1978. It gained momentum and you can find a lot more about the week [into month] online.
Here is President Jimmy Carter’s Message from 1980 designating March 2-8, 1980 as National Women’s History Week. (From the National Women’s History Month Project.)

“From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.

As Dr. Gerda Lerner has noted, “Women’s History is Women’s Right.” – It is an essential and indispensable heritage from which we can draw pride, comfort, courage, and long-range vision.”

I ask my fellow Americans to recognize this heritage with appropriate activities during National Women’s History Week, March 2-8, 1980.

I urge libraries, schools, and community organizations to focus their observances on the leaders who struggled for equality – – Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy
Stone, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, and Alice Paul.
Understanding the true history of our country will help us to comprehend the need for full equality under the law for all our people.

This goal can be achieved by ratifying the 27th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which states that “Equality of Rights under the Law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”

So! I’m never quite sure what to do about these months when it’s just me myself, because if I post things you can find yourself online, it’s a mix of “do people care” and “why? they can just do it on their own!” But, who knows. For now, I’ll leave you the link to the government site, that links to the National Archives, etc. … Some things I saw looked really interesting, and some really irked me, like the portrait of “Mrs. Bill Clinton.” 😒

And why did I include the photo of Billie Holiday? Because why not? She was amazing. A seminal influence in so many things.

So, my question to you is – who would you write about for Women’s History Month? Or what issue would you talk about? While teaching of course isn’t a gendered thing, I can’t help but think about the teachers strike in West Virginia, as a “here and now” topic.