Powerful Women and Spring Break!

 

March is always a great month because we celebrate things like St. Patrick’s day and we take a respite in Spring Break. However, one of the greatest parts of March is learning about Women’s History through Women’s History Month. It is always hard to narrow the topic to influential figures and important events, but there are always the big names that come up during the month: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Gloria Steinam, Sandra Day O’Conner, Ruth Ginsberg, Shirley Chisholm, Katherine Johnson.In this issue, we are going to look at some figures who may not be as famous as others, but are still vital to Women’s history.

1. Alice Paul: She believed that women’s suffrage was just the first step. She declared, “It is incredible to me that any woman should consider the fight for full equality won. It has just begun.” She was a founder of the equal rights amendment. Paul died hoping the ERA would succeed.
2. Maud Wood Park: The first president of the League of Women Voters. She helped form the Women’s Joint Congressional Committeee to lobby Congress to enact legislation favored by women’s groups. She championed the Sheppard-Towner Maternity Bill which provided money to take care of women during and after pregnancy.
3. Mary McLeod Bethune: She raised money to pay the poll tax in Daytona, Florida and taught women how to pass their literacy tests. She founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935 to advocate for African American women. She also accepted the position as Director for the Division of Negro Affairs in the National Youth Administration during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency. She once said, “I visualized dozens of Negro women coming after me, filling positions of high trust and strategic importance.”
4. Rose Schneiderman: She was a factory worker and dedicated labor organizer. She was president of the Women’s Trade Union League. She was the only woman on the National Recovery Administration’s Labor Advisory Board. She served as New York State’s Secretary of Labor from 1937-1943. She called for unemployed female workers to get relief funds. She also wanted domestic workers to be covered by Social Security. She sought to improve wages and working conditions for waitresses, laundry workers, beauty parlor workers, and hotel maids.
5. Eleanor Roosevelt She joined the Women’s Trade Union League in 1922 and introduced her husband Franklin D. Roosevelt to friends like Rose Schneiderman which led him to understanding the needs of femail workers. When FDR became president, Eleanor used her new position of power to support women’s interests.She continued to advocate for women after FDR’s death. During President John F. Kennedy’s presidency, she spoke out about the need for equal pay.
6. Molly Dewson: She worked within the Democratic Party to help women reach new heights of political power. She worked closely with Eleanor Roosevelt to vote for FDR. She then pushed for women to receive political appointments which led FDR making groundbreaking selections such as Frances Perkins becoming Secretary of Labor and Ruth Bryan Owen being names as Ambassador to Denmark and Florence Allen joining the Circuit Court of Appeals. (no picture

* Information found on Biography.com

Spring Break Reads

Here are some book lists from JCPL that might be fun to check out and read over Spring Break.

1. Women Who..... List
2. Fantastic Fantasy for Teens
3. Flying Under the Radar: Issues and Identity
4. New Teen Books

Rest, Rejuvenate, and Re-energize Your Body and Mind

As we wrap up the end of March it’s important to recognize and remember all of the amazing things women have done over the course of history and continue to do today!  Additionally, we have a lot happening in the next two weeks - spring break, transitioning back to school for most of the students on April 5th, and CMAS testing for many.  During spring break it’s helpful to rejuvenate, relax, and re-energize in order to prepare for the changes/adjustments.  

Try to make a point to do something fun over the break whether it’s going somewhere new, eating delicious food you haven’t had in a while, watching a new movie/show, or whatever it is that will help you feel relaxed and ready to come back to learn!

One option you have for resetting and getting in the right headspace is to practice mindfulness.  Please watch this Under Pressure video and then practice the visualization, mindfulness, and being really aware.  Mindfulness Coloring is also helpful to focus on how we choose and apply color in a design to bring our awareness to the present moment.  Practice with these coloring pages.

Have you heard of Laughter Yoga?  Check out this Laughter Yoga video and practice with your family!  Notice how you feel before and after, and try to do it multiple times over spring break.

Women's History Month

How Did Women's History Month Happen?

Women’s History Month in America sprouted from International Women’s Day, a day that commemorated socialists and suffragists meeting in 1909. A year later a German activist, Clara Zetkin, introduced the idea that the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen support an International Women’s Day. All 17 participating countries agreed and the day was officially adopted. Over the years, the number of countries that celebrate International Women’s Day has grown. In America 1977, a Women’s History Week started out of a push to move school principals to recognize and enforce Title IX. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8th as National Women’s History Week. By 1988, congress had declared it National Women’s History Month. This month is dedicated to hearing the stories not told in many history books- of the women who shaped history. 

To learn more about women that shaped our history, read these articles:

History Channel’s 11 Bold Women Who Changed the World

Marie Clare’s 50 Famous Women Throughout History

Time Magazine’s Historians Pick 9 Women From American History You Should Know.

People Magazine’s 15 Times Women have Made History this Past Year

Authors of Interest

Check out some of these women authors who created amazing works of art that can transport you to new worlds and change your perspective:

1. Laurie Halse Anderson

2. Ursula K. LeGuin

3. George Eliot

4. Alice Walker

5. Toni Morrison

6. Maya Angelou

7. Harper Lee

8. Mary Shelley

9. Jane Austen

10. Agatha Christie

11. Amy Tan

12. Chimamanda Ngosi Adichie

13. Judy Blume

14. Erin Hunter

15. Suzanne Collins

Attitude of Gratitude and Women's History Month

During the month of March, we’re focusing on “Attitude of Gratitude” and ways we can appreciate ourselves as well as those around us.  Students in school have been identifying things they’re grateful for in a journal, writing cards to people, and exploring ways they can share their appreciation.  March is also Women’s History month where we celebrate and honor the accomplishments of women and recognize there have been women throughout history paving the way for everyone and we should be grateful for them, too.

Learn more about why we celebrate Women’s History month by watching this video.

Simply saying thank you each and every day is powerful. One way to expand the power of gratitude is to write someone a note. You can send it as an email or text, but a handwritten note is the most powerful since it is the most personal.  As an activity with your family, think of a person who has been particularly helpful to you recently.  Write them a note of appreciation and deliver it. Challenge yourself to incorporate Women’s History month, too, and identify a woman in your life you want to thank.  Whether it’s a family member, neighbor, someone in your community, etc. it will make their day and yours!  Constantly express gratitude to others, and you’ll begin to notice the wonderful things that doing so will bring into your life!