The promise of the present depends on knowing our past

Perhaps it is just a coincidence that today is the start of Daylight Saving Time and this column’s topic is about this month’s designation as Women’s History Month.

The time change brings more light into our lives, just as knowing our history enlightens and empowers us.

Started by a task force in Sonoma County, California, an effort began to secure a “National Women’s History Week.” The first steps toward success occurred when President Jimmy Carter issued a proclamation declaring March 2-8, 1980 as Women’s History Week.

In his message to the nation, President Carter said: “From the first settlers who came to our shores, from the first American Indian families who befriended them, men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well.”

In 1987, Congress declared March as National Women’s History Month.

Recognizing the achievements of women in all facets of life — science, community, government, literature, arts, sports, medicine — has a huge impact on the development of self-respect and new opportunities for girls and young women. As Myra Pollack Sadker observed, “Each time a girl opens a book and reads a womanless history, she learns she is worth less.”

Every year in March, the National Women’s History Project coordinates observances throughout the country. They set the annual theme, produce educational materials and choose specific women to honor nationally for their work. They also operate an award-winning website, which makes information about women widely accessible. The site, nwhp. org, attracted over one million visitors last year.

The NWHP encourages everyone to discover stories about their mothers and grandmothers to help us better understand the challenges they faced. Recognizing the dignity and accomplishments of women in our own families and those from other backgrounds leads to higher self-esteem among girls and, equally as important, greater respect among boys and men.

Results can be as farreaching as greater achievement by girls in school and less violence against women. While we draw strength and inspiration from those who came before us, we are naive if we assume that women are now full and equal partners in our society.

Women still receive less pay than men for the same work. President Trump’s Cabinet is shaping up to have a smaller percentage of women than the first Cabinets of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George Bush. And well over half of the 37 million Americans living in poverty are women, with an even higher figure among the elderly.

A truly inclusive history recognizes how important women have always been in American society and encourages us to pass regulations which will allow them to participate even more fully. One of my favorite books of inspirational stories about women from all over the world, written by Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl Dunn, expresses my sentiments in its title, “Women Hold Up Half the Sky.”