Women’s History Month
Knowing about the unknown women of history
March is Women’s History Month. This is the time of year that we give thanks and show appreciation to women of the past and of the present who overcame gender biases and broke through this patriarchal world. Women's History Month started as a local celebration for a week in Santa Rosa, CA. It corresponded with International Women’s Day, March 8th, and later expanded to the entire month. We all know women’s history and the steps that women had to take to get rights under the patriarchy, but we only hear about White women. What about women of color? Why not the women who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community?
In 1910 a Black woman made history as the first self-made millionaire for her hair care products: Madam C.J. Walker. She started to lose her hair due to stress, and it led her to meet Annie Turbo Malone’s The Great Wonderful Hair Grower and become a sales rep for Malone’s product. This opened doors for Walker to create her own hair care product called Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower. She built the Walker Manufacturing Company creating many jobs for Black men and women. She advocated for Black women to gain economic independence and even offered training programs called The Walker System. She employed 40,000 Black men and women and founded the National Negro Cosmetics Manufactures Association in 1917. She was a philanthropist throughout her life and even after death she donated a percentage of her profits to different charities and schools. She was a political and social activist.
Jasmeet Bains is a first-generation American and a family doctor who served as an Assembly member, in the 35th District in 2022. In her medical career, she focused on providing healthcare throughout the valley and in underserved healthcare communities to increase access to healthcare. She is the first Sikh and South Asian American woman to serve in the state legislature and first-ever medical doctor appointed to lead the Assembly Aging and Long-Term Care Committee. She volunteers with Global Family combating human trafficking, San Joaquin Valley Air District’s Environmental Justice Advisory Group fighting for better air and water quality in the valley, and Taft College Foundation fighting for access to higher education. She continues to serve with her work on the California Assembly Joint Resolution 2 combating the Sikh violence in America.
Autumn Peltier is a 19-year-old woman who is already making history for the Native Americans, specifically the Anishinabek Nation being the Chief Water Commissioner. She is an environmental activist who has spoken at the Assembly of First Nations, the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Global Landscapes Forum, and the World Economic Forum. She has received the Sovereign Medal of Exceptional Volunteerism from the Governor-General of Canada and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Daniel G Hill Award from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, the Emerging Canadian Leader Award from the Public Police Forum, and an Honorary Doctorate Inductee from Royal Roads University.
Sonia Sotomayor is the first-ever Latina to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a first-generation American. While at Princeton for undergrad she fought against hiking discrimination against the Puerto Ricans. She co-chaired the Latin American and Native American Students Association. She worked as an Assistant District Attorney, for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District, the Court of Appeals, then later she was appointed as a Supreme Court Justice. With her influence, she fought for affirmative action programs, and affordable health care, and voted for legalizing same-sex marriage in all 50 states.
Lastly, this queen fought for equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ community and was documented as the first drag queen: Marsha P. Johnson. She was born as a Black male with the name Malcolm Michaels Jr. She advocated for homeless LGBTQIA+ youth, HIV/AIDS, and LGBTQIA+ rights in America. She is the mother of drag and the term transgender. Following the Stonewall Riot where police officers rioted a gay bar, The Gay Rights Movement was born in 1969 and she was at the front. She spoke against homophobia and founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) with Sylvia Rivera. The organization was to provide shelter to youth who were shunned by their families due to their sexuality.
There are many more women who made history, but continue to be ignored because they aren’t White. They deserve to be known and heard during Women’s History Month.
Work Cited
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/madam-cj-walker
https://www.oyez.org/justices/sonia_sotomayor
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/marsha-p-johnson