Archive for February, 2010

History is just that: a story of past events that allows one to know more about the present. Ask a room of people to name historical figures and you will hear anything from presidents to generals, from explorers to scientists, from media moguls to sports legends. Chances are that 99.9% of them will also be male. To be sure—all would be quite historical and quite correct.

But wait a minute. What happened to HERstory across time? Are there not women whose efforts and achievements have made a difference in the present? Yes. Yes. Yes.

In 1980, National Women’s History Project was founded in Santa Rosa, California by Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, Paula Hammett and Bette Morgan to broadcast women’s historical achievements. The NWHP started by leading a coalition that successfully lobbied Congress to designate March as National Women’s History Month, now celebrated across the land.

Today, the NWHP is known nationally as the only clearinghouse providing information and training in multicultural women’s history for educators, community organizations, and parents-for anyone wanting to expand their understanding of women contributions to U. S. history. As their informative website proclaims: “Each time a girl opens a book and reads a womanless history, she learns she is worth less.”—Myra Pollack Sadker

Every day during March, this site will feature a different woman of “history”. Keep in mind our definition: a story of the past that helps us understand the present—including our most personal and intimate present. We can’t ignore the influence of our biological sisters as well as our soul sisters, the lessons of our mothers and grandmothers, the impact of known and little known women.

See this month as a celebration. We encourage you to send us tributes to the women from your history. Send us stories about women who didn’t make it in the history books but should have. We can print them all here. Send us pictures. Heck—send us money and dark chocolate. (Just kidding about the money. But we do encourage you to make a donation to the National Women’s History Project.)

Together, let’s find the role models that can inspire us to link arms and create great work and a world that works for all.

Eieen McDargh, CSP CPAE McDargh Communications

Eunice Parisi-Carew Ken Blanchard Companies