HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- National Women’s History month is observed from March 1-31 each year. The purpose of National Women’s History Month is to celebrate women’s achievements while sharing their struggles throughout U.S. history.
Each year in March, time is taken to highlight the path that many women have taken to pursue equality.
The month is a chance to celebrate women’s accomplishments, but it also provides an opportunity to highlight continuous efforts for change. Each glass ceiling shattered sets the tone and path for younger generations to enjoy a more equal and opportunistic life, and also encourages them to pursue innovation.
Women’s History Month was initially a weeklong celebration passed by congress in 1981 and held the first week in March. In 1987, the commemoration became a month long when the National Women’s History Project petitioned congress. Due to their efforts and others, presidents have and continue to issue proclamations for Women’s History Month.
While there are many examples in history that support and heighten hope in the journey for women in the United States, one instance in the strife for equality in the U.S. Air Force occurred in 2020 when Chief Master Sgt. Joanne S. Bass became the first woman to serve as the highest-level enlisted leader of a military service.
This March, the Team Hill Special Observance Council is creating a series of video interviews that will be posted throughout the month. The interviews will highlight Hill AFB women who will share and speak to the challenges and paths they are paving.
In addition, the committee is putting together a weekly newsletter to highlight some of these women, to provide some snippets of history on those that came before us, and to give readers a puzzle centered on the observance with a chance to win a small prize.
The videos and newsletters will be posted on the Hill website at www.hill.af.mil and released across the base’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels on Fridays.