In the US, today marks the beginning of a month-long celebration of herstory, aka women's history. We've been celebrating Women's History Month since 1987 - the first year a woman could get a business loan without her Father or Husband co-signing. I was eight years old when it began. We are the first generations of women with financial independence - kind of a big deal. I must admit - having this knowledge makes me extra proud to be the Founder of two woman-owned businesses. 💕

Why Do We Celebrate Herstory?

According to this article on the History Channel's website, "The celebration of Women's History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women's contributions to culture, history, and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978 (the year before I was born). Presentations were given at dozens of schools, hundreds of students participated in a "Real Woman" essay contest, and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa.

A few years later, the idea caught on within communities, school districts, and organizations across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women's History Week (perhaps one of the only positive contributions he made as President). The US Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women's History Project (now known as the National Women's History Alliance) successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March."

2024's Women's History Month Theme

The aforementioned National Women's History Alliance assigns a theme for each year's celebrations. This year's theme is "Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion." The NWHA said, "During 2024, we recognize the example of women who are committed to embracing everyone and excluding no one in our common quest for freedom and opportunity."

So, in keeping with this theme, I'm re-sharing some of my posts that recognize women's historical contributions and support diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Relevant Herstory Posts:

The Lost Art of Sisterhood: Rediscovering Authentic Female Connections: If you only read one article this week, make it this one. In it, I share insights on how women's circles and women's groups impacted the world we live in today, why this practice has diminished, and how we can revive the art of sisterhood to change the world for the better.

The Invisible Scar: Understanding and Healing the Sister Wound: This post discusses one of the wounds women carry from living in an unbalanced patriarchal society and the unhealthy coping mechanisms we adopted to survive. It also suggests ways to heal this wound. 

The Power of Sisterhood: A Brief History of Women's Circles and Why You Need One: In this post, we explore the origins of women's circles and how participating in one helps you find the support, community, connection, and resilience to thrive instead of barely surviving. 

The Witch Wound- What is It and Why Do We Still Feel It?: One word has been used to control and oppress women for centuries. And it still lingers today, leaving a deep wound that affects every aspect of a woman's life. In this piece, we will explore the origins of the witch wound, its lingering effects, and, most importantly, how we can begin to heal from it. 

The Power of a Woman: I wrote this prose-style poem on my poetry/creative writing blog about the power of a woman and our impact.

Why Women in the US Must Pay Attention to the Protests in Iran: This one was also posted on my creative writing blog and girl, it pissed some of my family off big time. Sorry, not sorry. I still mean what I wrote and will not lower my voice.

How to Make Your Herstory Have an Impact

Each woman is writing her own herstory simply by living her life. What kind of story are you writing? Remember that the stories we write for ourselves are passed down to future generations. What impact is your story making? How can you ensure your influence is more positive than negative? Let me leave you with these lyrics from a song by Jewel that some of you younger women may not have heard of. When I listen to this song, I feel these words all the way down in my bones. 

Life Uncommon Lyrics by Jewel:

"Don't worry, Mother, it'll be all right

And don't worry, sister, say your prayers and sleep tight

It'll be fine, lover of mine

It'll be just fine

Lend your voices only to sounds of freedom

No longer lend your strength to that which you wish to be free from

Fill your lives with love and bravery

And you shall lead a life uncommon

I've heard your anguish; I've heard your hearts cry out

We are tired, we are weary, but we aren't worn out

Set down your chains until only faith remains

Set down your chains

And lend your voices only to sounds of freedom

No longer lend your strength to that

Which you wish to be free from

Fill your lives with love and bravery

And we shall lead a life uncommon

There are plenty of people who pray for peace

But if praying were enough, it would have come to be

Let your words enslave no one, and the heavens will hush themselves

To hear our voices ring out clear

With sounds of freedom

Sounds of freedom

Come on, you unbelievers, move out of the way

There is a new army coming, and we are armed with faith

To live, we must give

To live

And lend our voices only to sounds of freedom

No longer lend our strength to that we wish to be free from

Fill your lives with love and bravery

And we shall lead...

Lend our voices only to sounds of freedom

No longer lend our strength to that which we wish to be free from

Fill your lives with love and bravery

And we shall lead a life uncommon."

Will you lead an uncommon life with me? Will you continue to liberate all women, so our daughters, nieces, and granddaughters reap the benefits? Will you lend your voice only to sounds of freedom, equity, diversity, and inclusion? I certainly hope so. The world needs us to. 

XOXO,