It's not her fault you can't get - Focus on Women Magazine

30 Years of theMaryland Women’sHistory ProjectBy Jill Moss GreenbergJill MossGreenbergMarch 2010 willmark the 30thanniversary ofthe MarylandWomen’s HistoryProject,developedthrough acollaborationbetween theMarylandCommissionfor Womenand theMarylandState Departmentof Education.Fromits inception, the MarylandWomen’s History Projectwas dedicated to honor andcelebrate the contributions ofMaryland women and girlsof diverse backgrounds andregions—both renowned andpreviously unknown.Prior to 1980, t<strong>her</strong>e wereno official observances ofwomen’s history in Maryland,and most people wereunaware of the many contributionsmade by women andgirls. Like most people, whenI was in school, studyinghistory mostly consisted ofmemorizing the dates of battlesor names of presidents. Itwasn’t until I went to a conferenceabout “Women in theAmerican Revolution” that Ibecame interested in history.For the first time, I learnedabout people like me—andlike <strong>you</strong>.Nationally, the first resolutionto establish a NationalWomen’s History Week wasintroduced through the advocacyof the National Women’sHistory Project, in 1980, butwas defeated in the U.S. Congress.Through a<strong>not</strong><strong>her</strong> bill,sponsored by then MarylandRepresentative Barbara A.Mikulski, the U.S. House ofRepresentatives designatedthe week beginning March8, 1981, as National Women’sHistory Week. (Congresslater expanded the week to awhole month in 1987.)At the same time as thenational efforts, Marylandbegan to establish a MarylandWomen’s History Week.As a member of the MarylandCommission for Womenat the time, I proposed thatthe Commission initiateMaryland Women’s HistoryWeek. We invited theMaryland State Departmentof Education to join with usand, to<strong>get</strong><strong>her</strong>, with a committeeof educators, membersof Maryland’s local Commissionsfor Women, and ot<strong>her</strong>organizations, we begancreating and disseminatingmaterials to publicize theweek throughout Maryland.Maryland Women’s HistoryWeek and then month werealso proclaimed each year bythe Governor and the MarylandLegislature.Each year since, packetsof materials were developedand distributed to all schools,libraries, local Commissionsfor Women, and ot<strong>her</strong>organizations, throughoutthe state. These packetscontained informationfocused on a specific area ofachievement by Marylandwomen. Themes includedWomen in Historical Eras(1982), Maryland Womenin the Arts (1985, 1998),Maryland Women in Mathematicsand Science (1988,1999), Maryland’s UnsungHeroines (1990), and more.Over the years, the packetswere expanded to includelesson plans, bulletin boarddisplay kits, and suggestedcommunity activities, as wellas compilations of availablespeakers, and organizational,written, and media resources.Linda Shevitz of the MarylandState Department ofEducation coordinated thedevelopment of these packetsand kept track of the tremendousnumber of educationalprograms that resulted inpublic schools, colleges anduniversities, organizationsfor girls and women, and inactive communities.14 <strong>Focus</strong> on Women Magazine