Why March is Women's History Month in the U.S.
Having created the first Women's History Week, the National Women's History Alliance lobbied Congress to recognize March as Women's History Month. Founders (right to left): Molly Murphy MacGregor, Paula Hammett, Mary Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, and Bette Morgan.
Courtesy of the National Women's History Alliance
Where were the women? she wondered. 'The history of women in the United States seemed to be written in invisible ink,' MacGregor recalled in a 2020 PBS documentary.
The first Women's History Week
MacGregor was spurred to action. In the late 1970s, she put together a slideshow on the history of American women in areas like politics, environmental activism, and the abolitionist movement and was amazed at the response. Students came away from the presentations with newfound pride and an interest in the stories of women like Harriet Tubman and Rachel Carson.
But when MacGregor learned that students rarely checked out or were assigned the tiny assortment of women's history books available in local elementary schools, she took action by joining the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women.
The commission had been created in 1975 and tasked with eliminating gender discrimination and prejudice. One of its goals was to help Sonoma County schools comply with Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments—a landmark law that protects people from discrimination based on sex in any educational program that receives funding from the federal government.
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Yahoo
39 minutes ago
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Yahoo
44 minutes ago
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Sen. Baldwin says ‘momentum' building to push back Trump efforts to close U.S. Education Dept.
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March ordering Education Sec. Linda McMahon to 'take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities while ensuring the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.' McMahon has said she is 'dead serious' about putting herself out of a job. In June, schools across the country were thrown into uncertainty when the Trump administration withheld over $6 billion in federal funds meant to support English language learners, migrants, low-income children, adult learners, after-school programs and more. The frozen funds included $70 million for Wisconsin. The administration decided to reverse course and release the funds in late July after Republican and Democratic Senators both called on the administration to do so. Madison Metropolitan School District Superintendent Joe Gothard said that, as of Tuesday, the district had expected $3.4 million and is 'still waiting for direct language to ensure that we are going to be reimbursed for the cost that we plan to incur this school year.' Without that money, 'students would not receive the services they deserve, and that could be by way of reading interventions, it could be some of the outreach we're able to do with communities, with families,' Gothard said. '$3.4 million out of $6 billion may not seem like a lot, but those are targeted funds at students who need it most.' 'I'm grateful that we've had support for the unfreezing of these funds,' Gothard said, adding that uncertainty of funding 'undermines public education and who it's for.' The lack of certainty is leading the district to rely more heavily on the local community and government for the support the district needs. 'I've got a range of students,' Thompson said, adding that the City Center allows for students to 'come in and get what they need.' Baldwin also got to see the school's music room, library, gymnasium and technical education spaces, including an autoshop. 'One of my most popular classes is our cooking classes, right, and kids get to learn basic life skills, and then, they actually do cooking for the school,' Thompson said. 'And nutrition and all that stuff,' Baldwin added. 'Yeah, you know, everything kids don't want to hear,' Thompson joked. The Trump administration's efforts to close the Education Department comes even as some Republican lawmakers are balking at the idea. Politico reported that Republican lawmakers looking to fulfill Trump's agenda are considering breaking the process down into smaller bills given the opposition to shutting down the department, especially from those in school districts that have benefited from funding and those that rely on the agency for guidance. When it comes to challenging the ongoing federal uncertainty, Baldwin pointed to a recent bill that came out of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education and was recently approved by the full committee. 'We have seen him propose to put some of the career and technical education programs in the Labor Department rather than keeping them in the Education Department,' Baldwin said. 'He's talked about putting the IDEA program' — which serves students with disabilities under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act — 'into the Department of Health and Human Services, where it would not be suited, and he is defunding programs left and right, so we're fighting back.' According to Baldwin's office, the bill would provide $79 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education and would put measures into place to limit the ability to downsize the department's role. The bill includes a requirement to make formula grants available on time and maintain the staff necessary to ensure the department carries out its statutory responsibilities and carries out programs and activities funded in the bill in a timely manner. Baldwin said the bill is 'wildly bipartisan,' noting it passed the committee on a 26-3 vote at the end of July. 'We have more work to do. It has to go through the whole process and end up on the president's desk before its law,' Baldwin said. 'I feel like we have momentum in standing up against this president's plans with education, so when we return to session the day after Labor Day, we're going to continue to press to restore all funding, and fight back against this idea of abolishing the Department of Education.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Solve the daily Crossword
