By Maire Crooks, The Current News Editor
In 1987, Congress named the month of March “Women’s History Month.” The nation and the River Hill community still celebrate the occasion to this day.
Originally, in 1980, President Jimmy Carter named the week of March 8th “National Women’s Week” because it corresponded with International Women’s Day. Seven years later, Congress revisited the action. Realizing this only designated a week for 50.8% of the U.S. population, each President since 1987 has proclaimed that the third month of the year is dedicated to women across the nation.
Students at River Hill “feel very strongly about [Women’s History Month],” as Meg Green (10) voices. “As a feminist, I think that it is important that we celebrate women and all of our accomplishments over the years and also acknowledge that we have a long way to go in formally recognizing gender equality.”
Mrs. Topus is the current sponsor of GirlUP, a club centered around amplifying female voices, and has been for over ten years. “I love that women are recognized this month in every way, from being talked about on television… the radio [and] in school.”
Meg noted many prominent women in our community, such as Vice President Kamala Harris, the first female to hold that position; Ms. Lidgard, River Hill’s principal; and even our own RHHS Executive Board SGA president, Chloe McGeehan. Despite the prominent presence of women in leadership at River Hill, Green mentions: “I think we should also push for women to have more roles in our own little school community.”
River Hill is taking a similar approach to celebrating Women’s History Month as it did with Black History Month back in February. A display decorates the media center wall that exhibits diverse women and reads “Women’s Herstory Month” and “#GirlBoss,” as well as other inspirational sayings such as “Nevertheless, she persisted,” which is comparable to the February display featuring Martin Luther King Jr. to draw attention to black voices. The library also features a plethora of women-centered books placed on top of the shelves at eye-level that focus on prominent female historical figures.
During Black History Month, the Black Leadership Union (BLU) held a game night to celebrate the occasion. Likewise, Mrs. Topus explains that GirlUP has “thoughts” to add to Hawk Talk, the RHHS morning announcements, and is looking to host a bake sale where all proceeds will be donated to a local women’s shelter.
With her sponsorship of GirlUP, Mrs. Topus aims to make young women feel empowered. “I want them to feel good about themselves. I want them to be active and participate in the community, especially at River Hill High School. I want young women to throw their shoulders back and lift their heads up,” she elaborates.
Despite the actions of GirlUP, some students feel that the celebration of the month, although important, should not be at the top of the to-do list. “The school didn’t really do anything for Black History Month, so I feel like if they were to [celebrate] Women’s History Month they should do Black History Month too and vice versa,” explains Jett Born, a sophomore here at River Hill.
However, the majority of the student body agrees “that we should do something to recognize this month and recognize all of the great women that came before us that got us to this point.”
As Mrs. Topus says, “You can never do enough.”