Dulles Triangles, the oldest social club in Virginia, proudly celebrates National Women’s History (Herstory) Month and International Women’s Day (March 8). In honor of this historic month, we will be joining members of Women Out West, a group of more than 1350 women based in northern Virginia, for our first combined group Sunday brunch on March 6.
Although International Women’s Day had its genesis in 1910, it wasn’t until the 1970s that American feminist groups extended the day to Women’s History Week to amplify women’s history in schools. In 1975 the United Nations moved to formally sponsor an annual celebration of International Women’s Day. As more groups began celebrating the full week, President Jimmy Carter designated the first National Women’s History Week, the week including March 8, in 1980.
Women’s history observations snowballed from there. By 1986, 14 states recognized March as Women’s History Month, and the next year the U.S. Congress established Women’s History Month as an annual federally recognized observance. Each sitting U.S. president since 1995 has issued a yearly proclamation honoring the roles of American women.
In the past 30 days, the strength of U.S. women has been front and center of national and international news. President Biden nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson, of the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to succeed Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Jackson will become the first Black woman to serve on the court. In addition, our country’s women shattered records in the winter Olympics as well as won a historic lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation for equal pay for play.
Of the 25 medals earned by U.S. athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics, women played a role in winning 17 (13 in women's events, four in mixed gender events). In comparison, U.S. men won eight. On February 22, players from the U.S. women’s national soccer team settled their class action suit against the U.S. Soccer Federation for equal pay. While this is a monumental win for women’s sports, it’s also true that male professional athletes continue to earn 15 to 100 percent more than their female counterparts. Clearly, there is more work to be done in sports and in general.
This month especially, Dulles Triangles honors women all over the world and the contributions they have made to the advancement of human history. Whether you’re a head of a nation or head of a household (or both), whether you’re laying a buyout proposal on a conference table or a meal on a dinner table, Dulles Triangles honors and thanks you.
As President-to-be John Adams was writing our nation’s Declaration of Independence in 1776, Abigail Adams urged him to “remember the ladies.”
Indeed.