March is Women’s Month History! Today we are paying tribute to some of the women in the medical field, who paved the way for women today.
Women’s History Month was originally just National Women’s History week, started by The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women. They picked March 8th to celebrate because it correlated with International Women's Day. In a proclamation in 1980, President Jimmy Carter made the week official. Seven years later, the National Women’s History Project convinced Congress to turn that week into a month. This month we celebrate the contributions that numerous women made to American History.
"... men and women have worked together to build this nation. Too often the women were unsung and sometimes their contributions went unnoticed. But the achievements, leadership, courage, strength and love of the women who built America was as vital as that of the men whose names we know so well." President Jimmy Carter, 1980
Florence Nightingale (1820 - 1910) - She was a British nurse known as the Lady with the Lamp. She founded St. Thomas’s Hospital and Nightingale Training School for Nurses. Her work transformed hospitals and improved sanitary conditions, which helped to lower the mortality rate (in hospitals). International Nurses Day commemorates her birthday, May 12th.
Clara Barton (1821 - 1912) - Clara was active during the Civil War and was known to the soldiers as Angel of the Battlefield. After learning about the Red Cross movement in Europe, she founded the American Red Cross in May of 1881. She also established the National First Aid Association of America, which gave awareness and preparation for emergencies.
Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1831 - 1895) - Dr. Crumpler was the first, and only, African American woman to earn a medical degree from the New England Female Medical College in Boston, and became a Dr., in 1864. As the Civil War came to an end, she helped freed African Americans receive medical care. Although she faced severe racism and sexism, Dr. Crumpler continued her work and helped her patients.
Dr. Antonia Novello (1944 - ) - In 1990 Dr. Novello became the first Hispanic, and woman, to serve as Surgeon General of the U.S. She dabbled in almost every area of medicine. She worked to improve access to medical care for women and children. She also aided in the end of tobacco ads targeting minors. She earned numerous awards throughout her career.
2023’s Women’s History Month theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories” - women who have worked in print, radio, tv, social media, etc.
Sources: history.com; womenshistorymonth.gov/about; womenshistory.org; britannica.com/biography