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The Diversifieds A publication of the EDRC at Grays Harbor College

Volume 1, Issue 4

March 2009

National Women’s History Month By Beth Lavallee

For many years women were not thought of as equals; in many aspects this has changed. Women can vote, women can own businesses and property, and women’s achievements are now being acknowledged. Women’s history started being recognized in Sonoma County, California in 1978 as Women’s History Week. In 1987 congress expanded the celebration to a full month. The purpose of Women’s History Month is to remember the women who have enriched our lives through their determination, intelligence, and dreams. One of the biggest organizations concerning women’s history is The National Women’s History Project (NWHP). The NWHP is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1980. The mission of the NWHP is to recognize and celebrate the diverse and historic accomplishments of women. They provide information, educational materials, and programs to the community. This year’s theme for Women’s History Month is “Women Taking the Lead to Save the Planet.” The NWHP will be recognizing Rachel Carson for her work battling the chemical industry to ban the use of the toxic chemical dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). DDT is a pesticide once widely used to control insects in agriculture and insects that carry diseases such as malaria. For more information on the NWHP visit www.NWHP.org Women’s firsts:

• 1650 Anne Bradstreet- first published American woman writer.

• 1795 Anne Parrish establishes, in Philadelphia, the House of Industry, the first charitable organization for women in America.

• 1849 Elizabeth Blackwell receives her M.D. degree from the Medical Institution

of Geneva, N.Y., becoming the first woman in the U.S. with a medical degree.

• 1872 Victoria Claflin Woodhull becomes the first woman presidential candidate in the United States when she is nominated by the National Radical Reformers.

• 1901 On October 24, 1901, Annie Edson Taylor, a schoolteacher from Michigan, becomes the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

• 1916 Jeannette Rankin, of Montana, is the first woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. • 1970 Diane Crump becomes the first female jockey to ride in the Kentucky Derby. • 2000 Hillary Clinton is elected to the U.S. Senate, becoming the first First Lady ever elected to national office.

March is... • Irish American Heritage Month • National Women’s History Month

Awareness Dates: Independence Movement Day

1

Granting of Citizenship (US)

2

Beginning of Great Lent Doll Festival (Japan)

2 3

Maulid an‐Nabi (Islamic)

8‐9

International Women’s Day Purim (Jewish) Hola Muhalla (Sikh) Holi (Hindu) Sun Yat‐sen’s Death (China) New Year (Sikh)

8 9‐10 11 11‐12 12 14

National Day (Hungary)

15

St. Patricks Day (Ireland)

17

Feast of St. Joseph (R. Cath.)

19

Ostara (Pagan & Wiccan)

19‐20

Chichen Itza Festival (Mexico)

20

Now Rouz (Afganistan & Iran)

20

Naw Ruz (Baha’I & Zoroastrian) 21 Elimination of Racial Discrim.

No written law has ever been more binding than unwritten custom supported by popular opinion. ~ Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947) Speech at the Senate hearing on women's suffrage, February 13, 1900

21

Youth Day (Tunisia)

21

Mothering Sunday (UK) The Annunciation (Christian)

22 25

Bikarami Samvat (Hindu)

27

Chetra Navratras (Hindu)

27

Ugadi (Hindu) Respect for Ancestors Day

27 31

The Diversifieds are a publication of the EDRC of Grays Harbor College. The mission of the EDRC is to promote awareness, respect, & equitable treatment of the diverse individuals and groups that exist within our campus and surrounding communities. The EDRC is open to all! Please come visit us in the 200 building.


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