MISSION
The National Women’s History Alliance (NWHA) formerly, the National Women’s History Project, is a leader in promoting Women’s History and is committed to the goals of education, empowerment, equality, and inclusion.
OUR HISTORY
- 1978: The Sonoma County Commission on Women in California initiated the first Women’s History Week, which aligned with International Women’s Day on March 8th. This local celebration laid the foundation for future national recognition of women’s history.
- A group of women, including Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, Paula Hammett, and Bette Morgan (pictured below), noticed the absence of women in educational texts and became inspired by Sonoma County’s efforts to address this issue.
- These women later founded the National Women’s History Project (NWHP) in 1980, with the goal of bringing women’s history into the mainstream and expanding the concept of Women’s History Week nationwide.
- 1980: NWHA (then a group of women) convinced Congress and the White House to celebrate women’s role in history, resulting in the official designation of the week of March 8th (International Women’s Day) as National Women’s History Week.
- 1987: NWHA led a successful campaign to extend the celebration to the entire month of March, resulting in National Women’s History Month.
- The NWHA began mobilizing national celebrations of Women’s History Month by choosing an annual theme and promoting a multicultural perspective by honoring women from diverse backgrounds.
- By the end of this decade, NWHA had established itself as the national leader in bringing women’s history into the mainstream.
- NWHA became the primary provider of educational materials related to women’s history, including posters, books, videos, and curriculum resources, distributed nationwide each March.
- 1995: NWHA led a national campaign to celebrate the 75th anniversary of women in the United States winning the right to vote, resulting in tens of thousands of local, state, and national celebrations.
- 1997: NWHA launched its website, which became a digital clearinghouse for multicultural women’s history information. The website is now a top search engine result for women’s history.
- 1998: NWHA led a second campaign to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Women’s Rights Movement, further cementing its role as a catalyst for honoring women’s contributions to democracy.
- NWHA continued to lead the annual national celebrations of Women’s History Month, distributing materials and resources to thousands of individuals and organizations.
- 2005: NWHA celebrated the 85th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment and the 25th anniversary of the women’s history movement.
- NWHA’s staff conducted training sessions and historic site tours in 42 states, reaching over 30,000 teachers and federal program managers, and delivered over 2,500 speeches nationwide.
- By the end of the decade, NWHA had responded to more than 200,000 requests for information from students, teachers, authors, historians, and executives.
Women Change America
2005 theme
- NWHA expanded its reach, working with schools, colleges, companies, government agencies, and community organizations to promote women’s history.
- 2018: NWHA became the National Women’s History Alliance, further strengthening connections between local, state, and national women’s history organizations.
- NWHA designed and produced more than 200 multicultural women’s history resources, including videos, posters, speeches, and curriculum kits.
- The organization’s influence continued to grow, working with key entities such as the President’s Commission on the Celebration of Women in American History and the Congressional Commission on Women’s Historic Landmarks.
- NWHA marked the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment with celebrations at local, state, and national levels, promoting women’s suffrage history.
- NWHA’s website has grown to receive millions of visitors annually, solidifying its role as the premier digital hub for women’s history.
- The organization continues to receive over 2,500 requests for information each year from students, teachers, reporters, and individuals across the country.
- NWHA is dedicated to retelling history and changing the future, believing that knowing women’s history empowers both women and men, with the motto “Our History Is Our Strength.”
Learn more about NWHA. Watch this short video.
Women’s history isn’t just about what happened in the past; it’s about empowering future generations to understand their worth and their place in shaping the world.