March is Women's History Month

March is officially Women's History month.  When I was born at the beginning of the 70's, there was no such thing.  The women's movement took root during the sweeping social changes of the 60's.  Women worked to expand the female presence in political and public society in addition to opening more opportunities for economic viability and anti-discrimination.  It wasn't until 1978 that Sonoma County, California declared Women's Week at the beginning of March.  By the time I got to college and started my Women's Studies degree, Women's week had become Women's History Month (1987) after Congress stretched the original Joint Congressional Resolution from 1981.  So what do we do to acknowledge Women's History Month? I'm sure there are many institutions of higher learning holding lectures, showing art exhibits, displaying books and articles by prominent female historians and scholars.  What I'd like to do over the next several posts on this blog is to talk about women I know who are making history NOW. 

One thing that I experienced after immersing myself in women's studies and starting a women's equality group on my college campus was the lack of exposure to women's personal stories.  The feminist tomes that I was assigned to read and the discussions we had seemed to focus more on economics, politics and abortion rights and how women were equal to men socially.  If you wanted to hear personal stories, you had to read a novel or find one of the few biographies of famous women.  I remember coming across an old book in the women's studies library after earning my degree that briefly mentioned traditional midwives and birth practices in developing areas of the world.  I was shocked that in all of my studies we had never discussed childbirth and women's experiences in the healthcare system as legitimate areas where women were being abused and made to be invisible.  That moment of realization sparked a fire in me that burns to this day.  My life work is to make the hidden visible, to magnify the spirit in women and celebrate and share in that beauty. 

So stay tuned for some stories of amazing women I have gotten to know in this life! I can't wait to share.....