Women’s History Month: A Month of Celebration and Empowerment

By: Ashley Chan '28 & Kaitlyn Dai '28

Although Women’s History Month kicked off on March 1st, Cate’s celebration began after spring break, when the campus returned to honor the accomplishments and impact of women throughout history for the remainder of the month.

The celebration of Women’s History Month dates back to 1972, when Molly Murphy MacGregor, a 24-year-old high school history teacher, could not find an answer to a student’s question about the women’s movement. In 1987, realizing the general lack of information about women in history, MacGregor and four colleagues launched the first Women’s History Week in Sonoma County, California. The idea quickly gained momentum, and by 1980, a coalition of women’s groups and historians successfully lobbied for national recognition. Two years later, President Reagan proclaimed the first national Women’s History Week. In 1987, Congress officially designated March as Women’s History Month - now a time to honor both the historic and ongoing contributions of women to society. The 2025 theme of Women’s History Month is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations.”

From club meetings to convocation speakers, Cate students have had many opportunities to engage with Women’s History Month celebrations. A notable highlight is a wonderful display for Women’s History Month set up in the CoLab, consisting of book recommendations, infographics, and pictures of notable feminist figures. Some of the most popular recommendations included The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedman & The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir.

Cate was also honored to welcome Carryn Barker ‘10 for convocation. Barker is a detective, former SWAT operator, and Medal of Honor recipient. In her powerful speech, she shared about her experience as the only woman on her SWAT team, serving as an inspiration to all of us to be resilient and speak up in the face of hardships. A female-identifying student commented after the convocation that, “As someone who wants to achieve a difficult and more idealistic dream, I think it's so important to have role models that encourage us to pursue these dreams regardless of external expectation and pressures.” The convocation ended with a standing ovation, a testament to the power of feminist stories in challenging biases and inspiring empowerment.

Other on-campus initiatives surrounding Women’s History Month included a Zoom Roundsquare postcard about International Women’s Day. During the postcard, 70 students from all over the globe discussed topics surrounding feminism, whether it be misconceptions about the movement, the role of quotas in promoting gender inequality, and how educators can work to support the cause. 

Cate’s Women’s Forum (WOFO) also partnered with Women of Color at Cate (WOCAC) to talk about Roxane Gay’s essay collection, Bad Feminist, and its implications on society. Similar to a book club meeting, everyone was welcome to jump into the discussion. Additionally, WOFO organized a much-needed spa night in Upper Booth, welcoming female-identifying members of the community to take a break from the rigors of the academic week and indulge in self-care. Members spent time braiding hair, tying tinsel, and applying nail polish – the perfect way to connect and recharge. 

Last but not least, the March issue of The GirlTalk Magazine, an intersectionalist feminist magazine (and also one of the many club offerings at Cate), focused on the topics of “Love and Lust,” featuring submissions from several Cate students, as well as those from students at different schools. The Cate students wrote about ideas of limerence and unrequited love, and how the prevalence of chatbot AI is impacting the dating scene. “I loved scrolling through the countless articles written by students all across the globe; each page turn revealed a riveting story, and every scan of a page was like a fresh experience,” an anonymous female-identifying student commented when reading through the March issue.

The magazine continues to be a great platform for students to share their views through the perspective of being a girl in the world, whether it’s regarding the distribution of power, division in society, education, justice, athletics, or even the definition of femininity itself.

The Cate community has provided a multitude of opportunities for students to engage in the celebration of women by spreading information on campus about female figures, utilizing affinity spaces to allow female-identifying students to connect, and empowering the role of women in society today by inviting convocation speakers. As society continues to evolve, it is important to ensure that the contributions of women are recognized and remembered. Representing half the global population, women have played vital roles throughout history, and their impact continues to shape communities worldwide. Observances like Women’s History Month offer an opportunity to reflect on these achievements and promote a more inclusive understanding of the past and present.