March Is Women’s History Month

By NJSFWC | March 1, 2022

Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope

By Carolyn Forbes, GFWC Women’s History Resource Center

The National Women’s History Alliance has announced its 2022 theme for National Women’s History Month: Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope. The theme is both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and a recognition of the thousands of ways women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history.

The theme recognizes the many ways in which GFWC women have provided healing and promoted hope since 1890. A few highlights include:

  • In 1907, when tuberculosis was a leading cause of death in America, GFWC clubs in Kansas mobilized residents in local communities to attend a traveling tuberculosis exhibit that educated them on how to reduce the spread of the disease, ultimately saving lives. Dr. J. Crumbine of the Kansas State Board of Health praised GFWC clubs by remarking that “we find that GFWC clubs lend their influence and their time toward making the exhibit a success.”
  • In 1945, GFWC club members came together to rush life-saving CARE (Cooperative for America Relief Everywhere) packages to survivors of World War II. International interests were served through the continuing GFWC/CARE program designed to educate and involve clubwomen in promoting healthcare for people around the world with a focus on women in developing countries.
  • In 2020, GFWC club members held marches and rallies that increased public awareness and educated Americans on the decades-long struggle of suffragists to secure a women’s right to vote 100 years ago. Club members from across the country donned suffragists attire, carried GFWC banners, and wore the yellow rose, a symbol of the deciding vote for the passage of the 19th Amendment securing women’s equality under the law.

The knowledge of how GFWC clubwomen have shaped our society expands our understanding of what is possible, and the GFWC role models of yesterday and today inspire members to contribute and to achieve great things.

Clubs should consider how to honor the contributions of our role models, club members, and community leaders. Perhaps share success stories at club meetings or start each meeting with a “moment in time” that showcases an important accomplishment in GFWC history. Or, consider holding a club “awards ceremony,” where members are honored for their contributions in all areas of club work. Celebrating members’ contributions boosts self-confidence and motivates them to achieve even more.

Take time to celebrate Women’s History Month in your club. It provides a platform that brings attention to the incredible things GFWC clubwomen have accomplished, honors those who came before us, and highlights the amazing things we are doing today.