Celebrate Women’s History Month
Things you should know when talking to your Girl Scouts.
Co-authored by Leslie Anselme and Morgan Alley. Please reach out to Leslie Anselme, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion/Racial Justice with any questions.
March is Women’s History Month! We encourage you to take a moment this month to admire the courageous strides of the activists who have come before us, and to reflect on the actions we can take to assist the work of the activists who will come after us. Check out the list of facts and quick trivia below to get started!
When did March become Women’s History Month?
- Women’s History Month first began as Women's History Week in 1981, when Congress passed a public law authorizing President Reagan to designate the week of March 7, 1982 as Women's History Week.
- Following petitions from the National Women's History Project, Congress passed another public law in 1987, which designated March as Women's History Month.
- From 1988 until 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions to law, allowing for the continuation of March as Women’s History Month.
- Every president since 1995 has issued an annual proclamation designating March as Women's History Month.
What is International Women’s Day?
- While Women’s History Month celebrates the contributions that women have made in the United States, it is important to celebrate women from around the world.
- International Women's Day occurs each year on March 8.
- The First International Women's Day was in 1911.
- Each year, there is a theme. This year’s theme was “Inspire Inclusion”.
- Wear purple this month to #InspireInclusion for women!
Learn About Girl Scout Alums!
- What do Taylor Swift, Michelle Obama, and Dr. Kathryn Sullivan all have in common? They were all Girl Scouts!
- From outer space to the White House, there are Girl Scout alums everywhere! Being a Girl Scout automatically provides you with a connection to some of the world’s most famous faces. Play a game of educational trivia with your troop by asking them what all of the following people have in common, beyond their Girl Scouting roots.
- What do Girl Scouts Alum Hillary Clinton, Dr. Jill Biden, Michelle Obama, and Laura Bush have in common?
- They all served as the First Lady of the United States of America, and they were all Girl Scouts!
- What about Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick, and Taylor Swift?
- Each of these musicians have been honored with a Grammy Award and have all been Girl Scouts!
- Dr. Sally Ride, Dr. Anna Fisher, Dr. Tamara Jernigan, and Dr. Kathryn Sullivan?
- They are all astronauts and Girl Scout alum!
You don’t have to be a girl or a woman to be a Girl Scout at GSEMA. At Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, we center the experiences of girls and women, and welcome youth members who identify as a girl, transgender boys, non-binary youth members, and adults of all genders.
Glossary:
Cisgender: a person whose gender identity corresponds with the sex registered for them at birth; not transgender.
Transgender: a person whose gender identity differs from that typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.
Nonbinary: a term used to describe people and genders that don’t fall into one of the two categories within the gender binary, man or woman. For some it's both, for others, it's neither, and for some, it’s a blend of the two.
Gender Fluid: a term used to describe those whose expression does not follow gender "norms" or stereotypes.
Learn more using our Transgender FAQs fact sheet.
