The Personnel Cabinet and the Office of Diversity & Equality are proud to celebrate National Women's History Month this March. Below you will find information regarding the creation of Women's History Month, the 2012 Presidential Proclamation by President Barack Obama and resources to help you learn and celebrate!
History of Women's History Month
Before the 1970’s, the topic of women’s history was largely missing from general public consciousness. To address this situation, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women initiated a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978 and chose the week of March 8 to coincide with International Women’s Day.
The celebration was met with positive response, and schools began to host their own Women’s History Week programs. The next year, leaders from the California group shared their project at a Women’s History Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. Other participants not only became determined to begin their own local Women’s History Week projects but also agreed to support an effort to have Congress declare a national Women’s History Week.
In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) cosponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution proclaiming a “Women’s History Week.”
In 1987, the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress to expand the celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Women’s History Month Resolution has been approved every year with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.
Information from the National Women’s History Project.
2012 Presidential Proclamation
The White House
Presidential Proclamation -- Women’s History Month, 2012
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
As Americans, ours is a legacy of bold independence and passionate belief in fairness and justice for all. For generations, this intrepid spirit has driven women pioneers to challenge injustices and shatter ceilings in pursuit of full and enduring equality. During Women's History Month, we commemorate their struggles, celebrate centuries of progress, and reaffirm our steadfast commitment to the rights, security, and dignity of women in America and around the world.
We see the arc of the American story in the dynamic women who shaped our present and the groundbreaking girls who will steer our future. Forty-one years ago, when former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt confronted President John F. Kennedy about the lack of women in government, he appointed her the head of a commission to address the status of women in America and the discrimination they routinely faced. Though the former First Lady passed away before the commission finished its work, its report would spur action across our country and galvanize a movement toward true gender parity. Our Nation stands stronger for that righteous struggle, and last March my Administration was proud to release the first comprehensive Federal report on the status of American women since President Kennedy's commission in 1963. Today, women serve as leaders throughout industry, civil society, and government, and their outstanding achievements affirm to our daughters and sons that no dream is beyond their reach.
While we have made great strides toward equality, we cannot rest until our mothers, sisters, and daughters assume their rightful place as full participants in a secure, prosperous, and just society. With the leadership of the White House Council on Women and Girls, my Administration is advancing gender equality by promoting workplace flexibility, striving to bring more women into math and science professions, and fighting for equal pay for equal work. We are combating violence against women by revising an antiquated definition of rape and harnessing the latest technology to prevent dating violence, domestic violence, and sexual assault. From securing women's health and safety to leveling the playing field and ensuring women have full and fair access to opportunity in the 21st century, we are making deep and lasting investments in the future of all Americans.
Because the peace and security of nations around the globe depend upon the education and advancement of women and girls, my Administration has placed their perspectives and needs at the heart of our foreign policy. Last December, I released the first United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security to help ensure women play an equal role in peace-building worldwide. By fully integrating women's voices into peace processes and our work to prevent conflict, protect civilians, and deliver humanitarian assistance, the United States is bringing effective support to women in areas of conflict and improving the chances for lasting peace. In the months ahead, my Administration will continue to collaborate with domestic and international partners on new initiatives to bring economic and political opportunity to women at home and abroad.
During Women's History Month, we recall that the pioneering legacy of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers is revealed not only in our museums and history books, but also in the fierce determination and limitless potential of our daughters and granddaughters. As we make headway on the crucial issues of our time, let the courageous vision championed by women of past generations inspire us to defend the dreams and opportunities of those to come.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2012 as Women's History Month. I call upon all Americans to observe this month and to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, 2012, with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the history, accomplishments, and contributions of American women. I also invite all Americans to visit www.WomensHistoryMonth.gov 
to learn more about the generations of women who have shaped our history.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
BARACK OBAMA
2012 Kentucky Women Remembered Ceremony
2012 Kentucky Women Remembered Ceremony
& Women's History Month Recognition
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
1:00 PM
Capitol Rotunda
700 Capitol Avenue
Frankfort, Kentucky
Honorees:
Willa Beatrice Brown (posthumously)
Hon. Crit Luallen
Joan Riehm (posthumously)
Hosted By the Kentucky Commission on Women
Women's History Events Across Kentucky
March 10, 2012
The Frazier History Museum - “Women’s History Month”
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This SECOND SATURDAY is all about HERstory! We’ll celebrate both the traditional and not so traditional roles of women & girls throughout history with women-centered activities and demonstrations will be going on throughout the museum.
March 19, 2012
GWS (Gender & Women's Studies) Research Matters Series presents:
Nancy Schoenberg, "Addressing Cancer Inequalities Among Appalachian Women: A Decade of Diverse Research Endeavors"
Monday, March 19, 2012 - 12:00pm to 1:00pm
107 Breckinridge Hall
March 20, 2012
GWS (Gender & Women's Studies) Queens Lecture Series presents:
Susan Bordo "Queen with Six Fingers: Origins of Popular Myths about Anne Boleyn"
Tuesday, March 20, 2012 - 4:00pm to 6:30pm
President's Room, Singletary Center
Lecture begins at 4:00pm with a reception to follow.
March 21, 2012
Kentucky Historical Society
Mar 21, 2012 - 12:00pm
Anne Shelby, Aunt Molly Jackson
Born in 1880 in Clay County, Aunt Molly Jackson was a miner’s wife, mother, midwife, political activist, union organizer, and ballad singer. She became an instrumental figure in the movement for workers rights and became an outspoken advocate for miner’s unions throughout the Depression Era. Join award-winning author Anne Shelby as she performs excerpts from her one-woman show The Lone Pilgrim: Songs and Stories of Aunt Molly Jackson and shares stories of more of her Kentucky feminist folktales. A book signing will immediately follow the program.
Reservations required by March 16 $18 for KHS members and $23 for all other patrons.
Location: Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History
For more information contact Julia Curry at 502-564-1792, ext. 4414 or email julia.curry@ky.gov.
Information & Resources
Information on Women's History
Resources for Women