On March 18, 2024, the Albany City Council issued Proclamation No. 2024-03 in recognition of Women's History Month acknowledging and recognizing the Albany High School Feminist Club for their ongoing commitment to learn about the history of gender discrimination, participate in discussions to bring awareness of the inequalities that exist today, and to advocate for equitable treatment, rights and opportunities for women and girls in our community and on a broader scale.

Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week.” Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as “Women’s History Week.”  

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.” Since 1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields. 

International Women’s Day – March 8 

International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. International Women’s Day was honored the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on March 19, 1911, where more than one million women and men attended rallies campaigning for women's rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination. International Women's Day was marked for a first time by the United Nations (UN) in 1975. More information on the UN’s involvement in International Women’s Day can be found here: www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day.  

Below are current and historical figures featured for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the world.

Featured:

• Toshiko Akiyoshi - Toshiko Akiyoshi changed the face of jazz music over her sixty-year career. As one of few women and Asian musicians in the jazz world, Akiyoshi infused Japanese culture, sounds, and instruments into her music. As a pianist, bandleader, and composer-arranger, Akiyoshi cemented her place as one of the most important jazz musicians of the twentieth century.

• Lorraine Hansberry - Lorraine Hansberry was the first female African-American playwright to have her work performed on Broadway. Published and performed for the first time in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun was the first play directed by an African-American, Lloyd Richards, and the first play with a nearly all African-American cast on Broadway.

• Billie Jean King - Billie Jean King is one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century” by Life magazine and the first female athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In her legendary tennis career, King captured 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles, including a record 20 Wimbledon championships.

• Mary McLeod Bethune - A champion of racial and gender equality, Mary McLeod Bethune founded many organizations and led voter registration drives after women gained the vote in 1920, risking racist attacks. In 1936, Bethune became the highest ranking African American woman in government when President Franklin Roosevelt named her director of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration.

• Grace Murray Hopper - Grace Murray Hopper was a computer pioneer and naval officer. She earned a master’s degree (1930) and a Ph.D. (1934) in mathematics from Yale. Hopper is best known for her trailblazing contributions to computer programming, software development, and the design and implementation of programming languages.

• Monica Ponce de Leon - Monica Ponce de Leon has received the Academic Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is widely recognized as a leader in the application of robotic technology to building fabrication. In large part because of her pioneering work, the use of digital tools is now commonplace in architecture schools across the country.