March is Women's History Month
By Patricia Milner
March is one of those fun months. There’s March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day, Daylight Savings, Pi Day and the Spring Equinox. Lots of reasons to celebrate and get happy. But let’s take a deep dive into some other reasons to celebrate.
March marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment of the Constitution which prohibited states from denying the vote on the basis of sex. As we stand on the shoulders of those daring women and men who made it possible, 2020 marks an election year like no other in our past. It is vitally important that we women vote this year.
In the U.S. March is also known as Women’s History Month. It originated as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress authorized and requested President Reagan to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Congress worked on joint resolutions for the next five years to make a specific week in March as “Women’s History Week”. It wasn’t until 1987 that Congress passed Pub. L 100-9 which declared the month of March as “Women’s History Month” which is intended to celebrate the contributions women have made to change the course of history in the United States.
New Mexico is fortunate to have a bounty of strong powerful women who are contributing to the public good. One such example is State Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-Albuquerque) from District 28.
“Women all across New Mexico are stepping up to run for office, taking leadership positions, supporting candidates, and doing the policy work to make change. When I see women leading in our agencies, debating policy and passing bills on the floor of the House and Senate, pounding the pavement to get elected, and serving in our communities—my heart swells with pride,” said Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-Albuquerque). “This is a critical moment in our history. We need more women and people of all genders, cultures, and identities to step up and serve. As I see it, our job is to help clear the way, to open the doors, and make space for all voices to be heard—and, then to get to work and make change!”
We are fortunate to have women like Representative Stansbury. And we celebrate all our women in New Mexico politics for their spirit and dedication.