There have been many influential women figures throughout history, and the month of March has been dedicated to celebrating them. Some of these historical figures are Marie Curie, Sandra Day O’Connor, Harriet Tubman, and Frida Kahlo. All of these women have helped improve the world in some way, whether that is through new discoveries in science, assisting women in progressing into professions they were not involved in before, helping free slaves, or through the creation of distinctive works of art. March being dedicated to celebrating women like these, however, actually just began as “…a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California” (womenshistory.org).
It was 1980 when a group of women lobbied for the month to become nationally recognized, and they were successful. While this celebration is called Women’s History Month, it also focuses on women alive today who will become great historical figures in the future since they are making a big difference in the world. One of these women is Malala Yousafzai.
Yousafzai, author of the memoir I Am Malala, is a young woman who was born in Pakistan. Growing up there, Yousafzai would see the injustices committed by the Taliban against women around her. When she saw this, however, she decided to stand up and she started having public speeches that made her fairly popular. The Taliban did not like this and they attempted to assassinate her. While the bullet did hit her in the head, however, she did not die. The assassination attempt just made Yousafzai more famous and noteworthy, and she still continues to fight for women’s rights today.
Jane Goodall is another prominent woman in the world of today. Known for being an expert on chimpanzees, Goodall helped grow humanity’s understanding of animals. Goodall was the first known scientist to realize “…that chimpanzees… [have] social lives not unlike human groups” (gifteddevelopment.org). Goodall also founded the Jane Goodall Institute which helped protect chimpanzees and their habitats.
Another well-known woman today who made an impact on women in entertainment is Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey made history by becoming the first black woman to make a billion dollars. She made this money after “…she launched her own television network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN)… in [2011]…” (nmaahc.si.edu). While Winfrey had grown up in poverty, she overcame that battle and became a shining example of hard work to women around the world. She showed women that their background can not stop them from becoming who they truly want to be, as long as they work hard at it.
Women accomplishing milestones like these is something that is only able to happen because of other milestones accomplished in the past. For example, women did not have the right to vote in America until the 19th Amendment was passed in 1919. Without this, women would likely not be able to make all of these achievements throughout history and today. Therefore, the women who fought for that paved the way for these other women to continue making a change.
