Women’s History Month

Vanderbilt celebrates Women’s History Month each March. Women’s History Month honors and celebrates the struggles and achievements of women of all nations and cultures.

Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.” In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month.” Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” (From the Law Library of Congress’s guide to the legislative history of Women’s History Month.)

For more about the origins of Women’s History Month, visit womenshistorymonth.gov.

Questions? Please contact Brianna Nesbitt at brianna.nesbitt@vanderbilt.edu.