Women’s History Month 2019: Celebrating Local Women in Business
March is the month of renewal and refocus. It’s when we set our clocks ahead and the season of spring begins to emerge, but it’s also the time to celebrate Women’s History Month!
National Women’s History Month is an annual celebration of American women and their contributions. From entrepreneurs to CEOs to engineers and world-renowned thought leaders. National Women’s History Month is a chance to recognize and celebrate how far women have advanced in industry and innovation. As well as how we as a country value equality and the contributions of all our citizens.
Now is the perfect time to honor the female innovators and leaders of the past, celebrate the achievements of women today, and envision opportunities for future generations.
To understand the importance of Women’s History Month, let’s first take a look at how it all began…
A Little Bit of History
In 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as Women’s History Month. Between 1988 and 1994, Congress then passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1988, U.S. presidents have issued annual proclamations designating the month of March as Women’s History Month.
Now, every March our nation celebrates the economic, cultural, and political achievements of women in our country. This month is a celebration of all women in all industries—women working in science and technology, women in the arts, and of course, women in business.
Women in Business
Over the past several decades, women have made great strides in business and entrepreneurship. There are countless women who serve as CEOs and Board Directors of multi-million-dollar corporations like IBM, Amazon, and General Motors. However, along with the incredible advancements women have made in the corporate sector, more and more women are taking the lead and starting their own businesses.
Countless women entrepreneurs have broken barriers in their fields and faced daunting odds. Of course, there have been numerous failures and successes, but in more recent years, women are closing the gender gap in business ownership in the United States.
Did you know…? In 1972, there were only 402,000 women-owned businesses, presenting 4.6% of all firms. However, this number has dramatically increased over the past several decades. As of 2018, there are 12.3 million women-owned businesses in the U.S, which makes up approximately 40% of all businesses.
There are many ways to support local women-owned businesses. From social media promotion and investment opportunities to mentorships and collaboration, supporting local women-owned businesses builds relationships and fosters growth within the community.
How We’re Celebrating Women’s History Month
In honor of Women’s History Month, we would like to present a monthlong series of posts highlighting some of our favorite women entrepreneurs and leaders. We would like to promote and highlight influential women in business and share their message of empowerment and community vision.
This Women’s History Month, we have the honor of featuring 5 game-changing women business-owners who have incredible focus and passion for their communities.
Stay tuned for our list of inspiring entrepreneurs!
