Proclamation of March 2024 as Women’s History Month
WHEREAS, American women of every race, culture, class, faith, and ethnic background, representing 50.8% of the United States population, have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our Nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways; and
WHEREAS, American women have played and continue to play a crucial economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of life in the Nation by constituting a significant portion of the paid and unpaid labor force working inside and outside of the home; and
WHEREAS, American women were particularly important in the establishment of early charitable, philanthropic, and cultural institutions in our Nation; and
WHEREAS, American women’s contributions were instrumental in the perseverance of the Nation during the Second World War (WWII), more recent wars/conflicts, the race for space and many other crises; and
WHEREAS, American women scientists are revolutionizing the field of medicine globally with their groundbreaking advancements in mRNA vaccines and Nobel-Prize winning gene-editing therapies; and
WHEREAS, American women of every race, culture, class, faith, and ethnic background served as early leaders in the forefront of every major progressive social change movement; and
WHEREAS, American women have been leaders not only in securing their own rights of suffrage and equal opportunity, but also in the abolitionist movement, the emancipation movement, the industrial labor movement, the civil rights movement, the peace movement, and other movements, all of which strive to create a more fair and just society for all; and
WHEREAS, the many women-owned businesses and women entrepreneurs contribute in a major way to the health and success of our local communities, their economies, create jobs, and demonstrate effective leadership; and
WHEREAS, from local Special Districts to Sacramento to the White House and the Supreme Court, women are leading and making change in government; and
WHEREAS, Contra Costa Democrats celebrate the many women leaders who are elected or appointed throughout our county and nation, including our first woman Justice of the Supreme Court in 2022, Ketanji Brown Jackson, our first woman Vice President in 2020, Kamala Harris and our first woman District Attorney in 2017, Diana Becton; along with the historic number of women who were elected in the most recent elections, we also recognize that women are still underrepresented in our legislatures, board rooms, and the judiciary; and
WHEREAS, the objectification of, violence against, and the exploitation of girls and women continues to be pervasive in the United States and across the world, while society continues to fail to educate young boys and men about boundaries and to hold them accountable; and
WHEREAS, lawmakers continue to infringe upon the rights of women to have autonomy over their bodies and access to the health care; and
WHEREAS, despite women’s contributions and proven talents and skills, the role of women is consistently overlooked and their qualifications and work undervalued and dismissed in literature, education, the study of American history, media coverage, in business, research and government; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County proudly recognizes the month of March 2023 as Women’s History Month and stands in solidarity and fully supports the contributions of women today and throughout history.
Approved by the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County, February 15, 2024