Women’s History Month has celebrated the accomplishments of women all over the world during the month of March. This international month has been celebrated in the United States since 1987, this year 2022 it will be held from Tuesday, March 1 till Thursday, March 31. March is dedicated to important women throughout history, like Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, and many others. It exemplifies their importance to U.S. history and many other countries across the globe.
Tenth grader Lana Mayes said, “I feel like it’s very important to have a day celebrating women and all of their impressive achievements. Women often go unrecognized, whether it be in the homestead or in the workplace, and it’s vital that we acknowledge and appreciate the hard work they put into keeping society functioning smoothly. Despite the amount of discrimination and challenges they face simply by existing in a male-dominated world, they continue to preserve and fight for their rights. It’s wonderful that we have a day celebrating all of their hard work and the battles they’ve won against the patriarchy, though we still have a long way to go in achieving gender equality worldwide.”

The first International Women’s Day was March 8, 1911, and many countries across the world celebrated this day with various activities, including presents to women’s loved ones, and educational studies. More than 27 countries absorb this day as a holiday including Nepal, Germany, Australia, and China. While the United Nations itself has supported the day since 1975.
London Whilby an MHS sophomore said, “I don’t usually do any celebrating on International Women’s Day other than acknowledgment. Girls’ Day in Japan actually falls on my Birthday (March 3) so I always do a little something other than my usual birthday festivities, even though I’m not Japanese. Like go support an Asian small business owner, or map paper fans. Occasionally on/around Woman’s Day my mom and I will do something we want to do, because women can do anything, we usually paint or get our nails done, this year we’re getting piercings.”
Sophomore Thomas Wagoner said, “I think it’s important to celebrate this holiday because women have played important roles all through history. They deserve to have light shined on their stories. We should celebrate it internationally because women create history all over the world.”
There is a campaign theme every year that is used to unify the world in the fight for equality and inclusiveness. The theme for 2022 is about breaking bias, as there are plenty of times women have been discriminated against or stereotyped, as mentioned in the interactive timeline. Women around the world are using this pose and fight for a more diverse and inclusive world where differences are honored rather than frowned upon. This theme is dedicated to the work of first responders and frontline caregivers, for their fight throughout the pandemic. It provides examples of how women have fought for their rights throughout history. Some past themes include 2021-choose the challenge, 2020-an equal world is an enabled world, 2019- #Balanceforbetter, and 2018- #PressforProgress. There are also specific colors that represent International Women’s Day being purple, green, and white. They were organized in 1908 Uk by the Women’s Social and Political Union. White signifies purity, purple symbolizes dignity and justice and green is for hope.
When asked her thoughts on the “breaking bias” theme and why she thinks it’s necessary for the fight women are still doing to get equal rights, Whilby said, “I think that’s a great theme. I definitely still see bias every day, which is that I can’t, shouldn’t, or should do things because I’m a girl, or if it’s just people being surprised by things I do, especially as a black woman, I know woman still need to fight for our rights because if we don’t no one else will. The past few years have definitely taught me that if people don’t speak up about problems of injustice they’ll go unnoticed, or people will assume the issues [have] been resolved.”
International Women’s Day does not belong to any one country or organization. No single person or group is responsible for the idea or execution of International Women’s Day. The day is for everyone everywhere. Women’s struggles don’t belong to one person, but rather the group of all women, therefore the fight against them does not belong to one single person either. This day and month are still needed because the fight for equality has been going on for years, before many of our times, and it will continue to proceed in our lives. This day exemplifies what women need to be focusing on and the ideas of how to continue fighting for women’s equality.
Sophomore Sarah Arriola said, “I think it’s awesome” in reference to how she feels about International Women’s Day. “We definitely deserve a day to celebrate all the women who have changed the world in their own little ways.”