It’s Women’s History Month!

They come from every race, class, ability, and ethnic background. Some of their stories are familiar. Too many are overlooked or underestimated throughout time. By engaging with them, we renew our commitment to promoting equal rights and opportunities for all women in Boston.

We start by making sure today’s outstanding women do not go without recognition in our city. There are so many unsung heroines on our streets. Bostonians should know about them! We collected your nominations of women who use their skills, time, and love for Boston to make our city wonderful. You can read about these incredible women in our ongoing Extraordinary Woman series. We will continue to feature their profiles to show all the different ways in which Boston women lead.

On March 6, you will have a cool opportunity to actually meet our Extraordinary Women! As part of our International Women’s Day (IWD) program they will all gather at City Hall.

Our theme for IWD in 2020 is "Today’s Girls, Tomorrow’s Voters". We will talk about voters because the 19th Amendment, which enshrined the right to vote for women in the Constitution, will turn 100 this year. We want to spark conversations about what the next 1,000 years of women voting will bring. This event will feature presentations by young Bostonians and remarks from Mayor Walsh. We will also unveil a poster exhibit of modern takes on vintage women's suffrage posters. We hope you can join us!

This event is part of a year-long effort. The Greater Boston Women's Vote Centennial's purpose is to remind us that the right to vote did not come easy. Women, people of color, and many marginalized groups have always faced barriers. It is a struggle that continues today in many ways. We will explore this topic throughout the year with the help of many partners. On March 8, for example, the Boston Pride will commemorate the Suffrage Centennial as part of their National Women’s Hockey League semifinal game. We thank them for being a part of the project!

We invite you to explore all aspects of women's civic and political engagement with us in 2020. By honoring the good in our past and reckoning with the difficult aspects of it, we can inform our present, and inspire our future. Come with us on this journey!

March is recognized in the United States as Women’s History Month. Congress granted the President permission and asked that they observe Women’s History Month since 1987. 

International Women’s Day has been celebrated in some form since 1909. In 1977, the United Nations passed a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day of Women’s Rights and International Peace. All member countries observe the day, which typically falls on March 8.