Once upon a time, it was naturally expected that a woman should stay at home to cook and clean while her husband went off to work. Women did not have the right to vote, the capability to defend themselves, and were viewed like objects. This year in January, more than half a million women marched on Washington to speak out about gender equality and women’s rights in one of the biggest demonstrations ever to take place. Talk about improvement.

March is National Women’s History Month although many people do not even realize it. How did we get an entire month? It began as a week-long celebration when a school district in Sonoma, California, created it. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter then declared the week of March 8 National Women’s History Week after the idea started to catch on around the nation. Seven years later, the National Women’s History Project made the celebration a whole month after successfully petitioning Congress.

The United States would not be on its way to equality if women did not push back awhile ago. Women like Sojourner Truth, and her “Ain’t I A Woman” speech, all the way to Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony organizing the National Woman Suffrage Association have shaped the future. The world has also been a witness to more recent successes, like Mo’Ne Davis, who became the first girl in Little League World Series history to pitch a winning game in 2014. A Girl Scout troop made national news by trying to raise money to get Susan B. Anthony and Cady Stanton statues in Central Park. They hope to achieve their goal by 2020.

If you feel like partying for the greater good, Amanda Davis, an Anchorwoman on Channel 46, is hosting a Women’s History Celebration on March 24th at the Clayton County Preforming Arts Center. The ceremony runs from 7-8 pm with a special tribute to NAACP Georgia Women Presidents, as well as a local women authors book signing. Donations are just $40. Although injustice still happens daily throughout the world, it’s more common than ever to see women as CEOs, graduates, and hard-working mothers. Women are important, from the stay-at-home moms who run the household to the women flying across the country to save lives. Things like jobs and sports no longer have their stereotypes, and women will continue to push for an equal world.