Herstory:: Celebrating and Learning from Women’s History in America

Who Runs the World? Girls! If that song doesn’t pump you up every time you hear it, I don’t know what does!

March is Women’s History Month and serves as an opportunity for us to be reminded and remember all the hardcore, rebel women who have made a difference in this world and the women who have played a vital role in American history. I feel like this year is even more special, as the United States has its FIRST woman Vice President, Kamala Harris. One of my favorite quotes from her is:: My mother would look at me and she’d say, ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last.’

As a mother, with a daughter, I can relate so much. When I look at my daughter, who at three years old is already so smart, curious, and tenacious in what she believes in, I know she will be a leader one day. Since she was born I have been buying her books about powerful women, such as

Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women
The Story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Biography Book for New Readers
A Is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World
I Will Be Fierce
Superheroes Are Everywhere
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez
Ambitious Girl

Herstory:: Celebrating and Learning from Women's History in AmericaI want my daughter to know the great women who have changed history and have shaken up the patriarchy and paved the way for us. I want her to know that because of the women before us, including her own matrilineality, I was able to be the first person in my family to go to college, the only to go to graduate school, and the only entrepreneur and small business owner. I also want her to learn that we still have so far to go in equality for women, especially for women of color. 

In the spirit of celebrating and learning, I have compiled a list of resources related to Women’s History:: 

  • https://womenshistorymonth.gov/:: This site is dedicated to all things related to Women’s History month. You will find an event calendar for all the women’s history events going on this month, as well as exhibits, videos, and resources for teachers {or for those of us who are homeschooling right now}. One of the featured collections I found so cool is Respect Her Crank!: Sounds of Blackness, which looks at the roles of Black Women in music throughout history. 
  • https://www.womenshistory.org/womens-history/womens-history-month:: This site, which among all things women’s history, has a page of amazing digital classroom resources. Additionally, they have this great toolkit where it has something you can do or learn about each day of the month related to learning more about the contributions of women in history. 
  • PBS has an entire “What to Watch” page dedicated to documentaries and women’s stories that they are featuring and streaming this month. Additionally, they have a section on the contributions of Black Women in History
  • In Houston, the Houston Public Library has an interesting collection of “Women who have changed the Houston Public Library system.” 
  • Baylor College of Medicine’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are celebrating women this month with several events including a screening and panel discussion of the film, Picture a Scientist, which delves into addressing discrimination for women in science and medicine. 
  • The National Museum of African American History and Culture has a wealth of stories on African American women in history. 
  • While this is an older article, Professional Women’s Magazine compiled an extensive list of Black, Latina, Asian, Arab, and Native American Women leaders. 

Our history is important, it helps us to not only learn about our past, but it shows us progress or regress. It helps us understand, as a society, where we came from and how we came to be. As women in America, we have come so far, and yet we still have so far to go. I hope this list educates and inspires you. “Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” – Unknown


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Jessica E
Jessica has been a bit of a nomad, moving constantly growing up. It was during her time in undergrad at University of Houston {Go Coogs!} that she planted some roots and proudly has called Houston home for the past 20 years. Somewhere in these 20 years, she received her Master of Science in Counseling, became a licensed professional counselor, married her best friend, and had a very spirited, independent daughter {September 2017}. Jessica is best known for her hustle, her resourcefulness, and forever searching for this elusive thing in life we call balance. She is a bubble tea addict so you can most likely find her at various Teahouse locations working on her growing mental health private practice, Ajana Therapy & Clinical Services in Montrose. She is passionate about mental health, especially related to maternal mental health, as her own birth and postpartum were pretty traumatic. Jessica and her clinicians write about various mental health topics on their blog and on Instagram @ajanatherapy.

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