While on the Calendar this month is everyone’s favorite reason to wear green, there are some other remembrances and celebrations to take note of.

Women’s History Month starts March 1 with the theme of “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced”. Some of you might notice that this is the same theme as last year. The National Women’s History Alliance decided to extend last year’s theme as due to the Coronavirus many of the women’s suffrage centennial celebrations for last summer had to be canceled. As those who fought for the right to vote, our voices as we celebrate such an important part of women’s history will not be silenced.

Women’s History Month Links:

A Digital Archive of Black Women’s Suffrage: https://blackwomenssuffrage.dp.la

PBS Article: Not all Women Gained the Right to Vote

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/vote-not-allwomen-gained-right-to-vote-in-1920/

National Women’s History Museum: Women’s Suffrage Timeline

https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/timeline/womans-suffragetimeline

National Women’s History Museum: The History of the Suffrage Movement

http://www.crusadeforthevote.org/history

Also, running the month of March is Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science & Engineering Month. While much focus has been on engaging girls in science and engineering, there is still a gender gap that begins to appear as girls get closer to college. Here are some resources to educate, support, and encourage girls in exploring the exciting fields of Science and Engineering!

Science and Engineering Month Links Keeping Girls in STEM: 3 Barriers, 3 Solutions

https://www.edutopia.org/article/keeping-girls-stem-3-barriers-3- solutions

5 Ways to Get Girls Into STEM

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-ways-girls-involved-STEM-karenpurcell

National Girls Collaborative Project: Statistics

https://ngcproject.org/statistics

March 8 is International Women’s Day where around the globe the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women will be celebrated. The theme this year is #choosetochallenge. This year “we can all choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality. We can all choose to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, we can all help create an inclusive world.”

International Women’s Day

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

History of International Women’s Day

https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day/background

The Radical Reason Why March 8 is International Women’s Day

https://time.com/5187268/international-womens-day-history/

Starting March 13 is Deaf History Month, which commemorates the achievements of people who are deaf and hard of hearing. The mid-March start reflects the timing of the three turning points in deaf education history. First up, April 15, 1817, America’s first public school for the death was opened; then April 8, 1864, Gallaudet University was officially founded as the world’s first institution dedicated to advanced education for the deaf and hard of hearing; and finally, on March 13, 1988, Gallaudet hired its first deaf president in response to a student-led movement.

Origins of Deaf History Month

https://www.deaf-interpreter.com/the-fascinating-origins-of-deafhistory-month/

Deaf HistoryTimeline

https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/asl/deaf-history-timeline

The History of Deafness

https://know-the-ada.com/t4/history-deafness.html

Famous Deaf People: 15 Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing People Who Changed the World

https://www.ai-media.tv/famous-deaf-people-15-deaf-and-hard-ofhearing-people-who-changed-the-world/

National Deaf History Month (highlights 5 role models)

https://www.insightintodiversity.com/national-deaf-history-month/

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day and that day when all of a sudden it’s so easy to meet an Irish person. If you feel the need to brush up on your knowledge of all things Irish, the link below is a fun look at the history of St. Patrick’s Day.

St. Patrick’s Day: Bet You Didn’t Know

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5KNQ1xciMQ

On March 21, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed on the day the police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration against apartheid “pass laws” in 1960. Then in 1979, the General Assembly decided that starting March 21 a week of solitary would be organized to show solidarity with the peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination. Since then many racist laws and practices have been abolished but there is still much that needs to be done as there are still far too many individuals, communities, and societies suffering the injustices and stigma that racism brings.

International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

https://www.standup4humanrights.org/en/2020/highlig hts_05.html

Then on March 25, the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade serves to honor and remember those who suffered and died in the grips of the brutal system of slavery. The day also stands to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice to us today. This year’s theme will be “Ending Slavery’s Legacy of Racism: A Global Imperative for Justice”. It will highlight the importance of education around the history of the transatlantic slave trade and slavery, slavery’s impact on the modern world, and the action still needed to address slavery’s long-lasting effects.

Slavery Remembrance: Background

https://www.un.org/en/events/slaveryremembranceday /2021/events.shtml

United Nations: International Decade for People of African Descent: Slave Trade

https://www.un.org/en/observances/decade-peopleafrican-descent/slave-trade

Wrapping up the month, on March 31, the International Transgender Day of Visibility encourages worldwide the celebration of transgender and non-binary people. It also serves to support the courage that it takes courage to live openly and authentically for transgender and non-binary people. This day is also important for recognizing the increasing violence and discrimination that the transgender community faces daily. To learn more about this day visit:

Human Rights Campaign Honors International Transgender Day of Visibility

https://www.hrc.org/news/human-rights-campaign-honorsinternational-transgender-day-of-visibility

Transgender Day of Visibility

https://tdov.org