Women History month
By Cecilia Fountain
3/20/26
In 1978, a movement began in Santa Rosa California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organization selected the week of March 8 to correspond with the country as other communities initiated to grow the awareness of international women day. The day celebrates the historical women from Abigail Adams to Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth to Rosa Parks. With the timeline of women’s historical milestones dating back to the founding of the United States and even further back if we’re thinking internationally. But for this article we will focus on American women’s historical achievements.
Sally Ride
Sally Kristen Ride was born on May 26, 1951 in Encino, California. She grew up with her sister Sally in a loving home. As a child, Ride was an avid tennis player and had dreams of becoming a professional. She began tennis when she was 10, and won a scholarship to the Westlake School for Girls in Los Angeles. When in her teens, Ride was ranked top 20 nationally on the junior tennis circuit. After attending high school she went to Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. For 2 years and Stanford University for 4 years where she graduated in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science in physics and a Bachelor of Arts in English and then in 1975 and 1978 Master of Science and doctorate degrees in physics. In 1977 she answered a newspaper ad placed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Her athletic past and educational degrees earned her in the top 5 women to be selected for NASA class of 78. She was one of the first 5 members aboard the space-subtle challenger STS-7. And on June 18, 1983 she became the first American woman in space and the youngest american in space. During her mission she was a flight engineer and she launched two communication satellites.
Dolores Huerta:
Born on April 10, 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico, Huerta was the second of three children. When in high school, school teachers held prejudices against Hispanic people, accusing her of cheating because her papers were too well-written. Huerta received an associates teaching degree from the University of the Pacific’s Delta College. While there she married Palph Head and had two daughters. She briefly taught school in 1950, but when seeing so many hungry farm children coming to her school pushed her to farm union activism. Huerta began her activist career in 1955 where she founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO). She also founded the Agricultural Workers Association. Despite ethnic and gender bias, Huerta helped organize the 1965 Delano strike of 5,000 grape workers and was the lead negotiator in the contract that followed.
Abigail Adams
Born to a prominent family in Weymouth Massachusetts on November 22, 1744, she was part of a prestigious ministerial community within the congregation church. Because of the time Abigail had no formal education. However, this did not stop her from mastering subjects that most women would never consider looking at. In 1764, Abigail married John Adams and Harvard graduate who was beginning his career in law. From early on in the marriage the couple provided insight in social and political climates of the Revolutionary and Early National periods in America. Though not exactly known for being a feminist most historians believe that she helped to protect women under law and access formal education. Abigail was able to help to influence her husband’s political matters overseas and within the new growing nations.
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/abigail-adams
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/dolores-huerta
https://www.history.com/articles/womens-history-month
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sally-ride