Celebrating Women's History Month

Women's History Month 2018 - Women Empowerment - Source: The New York Times photo archive. Photo by Paul Thompson - Empowering women in history - women activists - feminists - suffragettes

Celebrating Women’s History Month

March is Women’s History Month, marking the beginning of a month-long dedication to the women in history that have improved the lives of women today. This entire week, leading up to International Women’s Day on March 8th, Love Happens will be dedicating all our content to the women that have helped shape the worlds of beauty, fashion, architecture, interior design and beyond. Join us in celebrating the women that have been so pivotal to our history!
women empowerment - womens history month - we can do it
First, we must pay tribute to those women that opened the door to the question of equality for women. Our society is a product of the past, so it is prudent and gratifying to look back in time to reflect on the brave and brilliant women that have come before us, paving the way for the rights of all women. Regardless of individual backgrounds or beliefs, the following notable, American women are those that deserve recognition for their early contribution to society. Let’s take time this month to reflect and express gratitude for these remarkable women.
Lucretia Mott - Women's History Month - Women Empowerment - empowering women in history
Lucretia Mott was a devoted Quaker that spent her entire life dedicated to speaking against slavery and racism. She became a Quaker minister with her husband’s support in 1821. Together they traveled and made the case for equality based on divine-human dignity. Mott teamed with Stone and Anthony to form the American Equal Rights Association in 1866, an alliance dedicated to the equal rights of women.
 
Harriet Tubman 1895 - Women's History Month - Women Empowerment - empowering women in history - african american womens rights - womens activists in history
Harriet Tubman spent most of her life daring to help free slaves using the Underground Railroad. It wasn’t until later that she became a prominent women’s suffrage leader, working alongside Susan B. Anthony in the fight for equality. Tubman is most remembered for her bravery and as someone who suffered greatly for her beliefs—a fact that makes her highly esteemed to this day.
 
Lucy Stone - Women's History Month - Women Empowerment - empowering women in history - feminists - women's rights activists
Lucy Stone was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree, but that was just the beginning of her legacy. She felt strongly that women had the right to a political and cultural opinion on matters of her day, including abolition, which made her one of the first influential abolitionists and suffragettes. The Women’s Journal was a literary periodical that she helped to establish. It acted as an outlet for open discussion over the issues of women’s suffrage. Her life and work were a great inspiration to many women that came after her, Susan B. Anthony being one of her most noteworthy admirers.
 
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony - Women's History Month - Women Empowerment - empowering women in history
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton—close friends dedicated to the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage. The two were crucial to the eventual formation of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits a state or the federal government from denying anyone the right to vote based on gender. Although neither lived to see the amendment ratified by Congress in 1920, their contributions to women’s right to vote were unsurpassed.
 
Sojourner Truth - Women's History Month 2018 - Women Empowerment - Empowering women in history - feminists - women's rights activists
Sojourner Truth was another notable abolitionist during the Civil War Era. She fought tirelessly for the rights of African American women during the time when lawmakers were busy focusing on the rights of black men. Her biggest fear was that African American women would be forgotten once the abolition movement died down and advocated that “we should keep things going while things are stirring”. Herself a slave that escaped to freedom, she made many notable speeches on abolition and women’s rights, drawing from her convictions and experiences.
 

Alice Paul - Women's History Month 2018 - Women Empowerment - Empowering women in history - feminists - women's rights activists Copyright by Harris & Ewing via the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Alice Paul was one of the few original suffragettes to live to see the ratification of the nineteenth amendment; however, Paul continued her work for women’s equality long after 1920. Her influence over women’s rights extends to 1964 with the ratification of the Civil Rights Act where she successfully petitioned for gender equality. Paul was often criticized for her bold tactics and aggressive stance, yet her devotion to female equality was never denied.
 
Don’t miss tomorrow’s Women’s History Month 2018 article on inspiring women in the beauty industry!