Women’s History Month
(Picture of 7 women of different races representing Women’s History Month)
March 17, 2023
It is now March, is the time when the weather changes and flowers start to sprout, but that’s not the only thing happening in March. It’s also Women’s History Month, when we can celebrate all the powerful and amazing women in the world! In this article, I will be talking about some women activists that have changed the world into what it is today.
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks was an American activist in the civil rights movement most commonly known for her part in the Montgomery bus boycott. Rosa Parks helped initiate the civil rights movement. In 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. Her actions led the local black community to make the Montgomery bus boycott led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a civil rights protest in which African-Americans refused to ride city buses to protest segregated seating. Four days prior to the Bus Boycott, Rosa Parks was arrested and fined for not giving up her seat to a white man. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional and to integrate its bus system. Rosa Parks was remembered as a symbol of dignity and strength in the struggle to end racial segregation.
Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg is a Swedish environmental activist who worked to address the problem of climate change, soon turning into the founder of a movement called “Fridays for Future” in 2018. She was born on January 3rd, 2003 in Stockholm, Sweden. Greta was also diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. People with this syndrome deeply focus on an idea or interest, and in her case, Greta’s fixation is climate change.
She learned about climate change when she was only 8 years old, became vegan a few years later, and also refused to go on airplanes. Three weeks prior to the Swedish parliament in 2018, she missed school to go sit outside the parliament and strike with a sign saying, “Skolstrejk för Klimatet,” meaning “School Strikes for Climate.” Even though she was alone on the first day of the strike, over time people started to join her. She continued to skip classes which then began “Fridays for Future”. Greta Thunberg inspired many students across the world to the extent of people actually participating in Fridays for Future. These strikes happened in Belgium, Canada, the U.S., The UK, Finland, Denmark, France, and the Netherlands.
Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai is a Kenyan politician and environmental activist who was awarded the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her “contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace,” becoming the first black African woman to win a Nobel Prize.
Mattthai developed the idea that women could improve the environment by planting trees to provide a fuel source to stop deforestation and desertification. She founded the green belt movement that planted around 30 million trees. Leaders of the green belt movement established the pan African green belt network in 1986 to educate world leaders about conservation and environmental improvement.
As a result of all this, similar initiatives were made in different countries in Africa including Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Zimbabwe.
Conclusion
In conclusion, women have done many historic things that have impacted the way we live today and without women, we wouldn’t have access to a lot of things, which is why during this month, we should appreciate women and what they have done for us.
Sources
Rosa Parks:
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/rosa-parks
https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/montgomery-bus-boycott
Greta Thunberg:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Greta-Thunberg
Wangari Maathai:
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