To raise awareness about the achievements of women across the ages, ISU faculty members are participating in the nationwide celebration of Women’s History Month.

“Women’s History Month was created to call attention to the contributions that women have made throughout history,” said Jill Bystydzienski, professor of women’s studies. “For a long time, women were omitted from history, but with the development of new courses of study, people have begun to focus on women’s accomplishments and integrate them into all history.”

The ISU celebration featured keynote speaker Linda Kerber, professor of history at the University of Iowa. Her speech, “Women in America: Refocusing the Past” was held Thursday, and Iowa State’s commemoration of the month will end March 31.

According to the National Women’s History Project Web site, the focus on females in history began shortly after the start of the women’s rights movement in the 1960s.

Women’s History Week was created by The Educational Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women in California. The group was concerned that women’s history was virtually unknown to the general public, and in 1978, members initiated Women’s History Week.

The first Women’s History Week was successful and drew attention from schools throughout the country. In 1987, the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress to make the celebration a month long.

Pamela Thomas, director of the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center, said celebrating Women’s History Month increases the awareness of the empowerment of women and gives them the confidence to make changes for the future.

“I envision a day when we no longer have to celebrate Women’s History Month because it is a part of the global fabric,” she said. “We would celebrate not only women, but the diversity that makes this country what it is today.”

Bystydzienski said it is important to celebrate Women’s History Month because even today very few people are aware of the impact women have made on society.

“We should pay attention to women’s accomplishments 12 months a year instead of just one. We can learn a lot,” she said. “Women have made significant contributions in our country and throughout the world.”