1975 by the United Nations, recognizes healthy school lunches and educational
women’s achievements, highlights programs such as sustainable school
issues of common concern and focuses gardens; and
on ending discrimination and increas- square6Betsy Damon, founder of Keepers
ing support for women’s full and of the Waters, headquartered in Ore-
equal participation in society. In 2009, gon, which supports communities in
the theme is Women and Men United to the preservation and restoration of their
End Violence Against Women and Girls. water sources. She works in the United
States and China.
WOMEN’S HISTORY The origins of National Women’s
MONTH HONOREES History Month can be traced to Sonoma
HELPED OUT MOTHER County, California, where in 1978 the
NATURE Commission on the Status of Women
The Women’s History Month hon- initiated Women’s History Week. Two
orees include scientists, engineers, years later, President Jimmy Carter
politicians, writers and filmmakers, conservationists, teach- asked Americans to celebrate women’s historic accomplish-
ers, community organizers, religious or workplace leaders, ments in conjunction with International Women’s Day. Con-
businesswomen and others who took action to help heal the gress established the first National Women’s History Week in
planet — some by promoting legislation and education, and 1981 and expanded it to a month in 1987.
others by getting their hands dirty planting trees and picking According to the U.S. Census Bureau, females account for
up trash. 50.7 percent of the U.S. population (there are 154.7 million
Some are historic figures, such as Ellen Swallow Richards females and 150.6 million males). Women own 28 percent of
(1842–1911), the first American woman to earn a degree in all nonfarm businesses in the United States. For every dollar
chemistry and the first person to undertake scientific water- earned by men, women earn only 77.5 cents. PWM
quality studies in the United States, and Mollie Beattie Source:
America.gov
(1947–1996), the first woman to head the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, which administers the Endangered Species
Act.
Most of the honorees are contemporary women, such as
these:
square6Lynne Cherry, author of The Great Kapok Tree and more
than 30 other children’s books that teach respect for the
earth;
square6Sharon Matola, an American who founded the Belize
Zoo and Tropical Education Center, begun in 1983 to protect
exotic animals that had been used in a documentary film
but were too tame to be released into the wild;
square6Meg Lowman, a Florida biologist, science educator and
pioneer in temperate and tropical forest canopy ecology,
who runs a foundation for tropical forest conservation;
square6Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, now a
promoter of youth education in science and technology,
especially on climate change;
square6Shirley Nelson, leader of the Navajo Nation Trash
Taskforce of Arizona, which helps communities solve solid
waste problems;
square6Lorrie Otto, of Wisconsin, a founder of the natural
landscaping movement, which promotes biodiversity
through the preservation and restoration of native plant
communities;
square6Alice Waters, chef and owner of Chez Panisse restau-
rant in California and head of a foundation that promotes
www.professionalwomanmag.com PROFESSIONAL WOMAN’S MULTICULTURAL MAGAZINE 63
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