Throughout history, women have fought for a change—whether their voices were heard or not. Each March, Women’s History Month is recognized and applauded for the sacrifices women have made in society.
Dating back to 1978, in Sonoma County, California, it was first called Women’s History Week before becoming a national event. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter established the importance of National Women’s History Week, and it began on March 8th. After multiple requests by the National Women’s History Project, Congress designated the month of March as Women’s History Month in 1987.
Many women have left an extraordinary impact on the world. Two examples are Serena Williams and Malala Yousafzai.
Serena Williams, a former American tennis player, has inspired many women worldwide. She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, four Olympic gold medals, and held the No.1 world ranking for 319 weeks. In tennis, Serena has vocalized her concerns about equal pay and challenged Wimbledon’s unfair policies, which awarded more prize money to male competitors than female competitors.
Beyond tennis, Serena advocates for racial equality and maternal health. Through the Serena Williams Fund, schools have been built in Kenya and Jamaica for underprivileged children.
In addition, Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist. In 2009, at just 11 years old, she stood up to a terrorist organization called the Taliban that pushed Islamic-based extremist ideologies in the country of Pakistan. She created a blog for the BBC, writing and describing the unfair ban on girls’ education. On October 9, 2012, while riding a school bus, she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman. This didn’t stop Malala—she survived the assassination attempt, became a global icon for girls’ education, and she gained multiple achievements.
She became the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner at 17 years old, wrote the memoir I Am Malala, and founded the Malala Fund, which is an international non-profit organization that ensures girls have the right to a free and safe education for 12 years.
Both Serena Williams and Malala Yousafzai have proven that their voices will not be silenced, and they continue to encourage girls to make their voices heard no matter the circumstances.
Happy Women’s History Month!
