March is National Women’s History Month.
The theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) in 2025 is Accelerate Action and the theme for this month’s Women’s History Month for 2025 is, Moving Forward Together! Women Educating and Inspiring Generations.
On March 8, 1911, the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in Austria, Switzerland,
Germany and Denmark, though the holiday was not widely celebrated in the U.S. until
the United Nations began sponsoring it in 1975. In 1977, to persuade school principals to comply with the recently passed Title IX, a task force in California created Women’s History Week.
In March 1980, after celebrations had spread across the country, then-President Jimmy Carter
declared March 8 the official start of National Women’s History Week. That same
year, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and Maryland Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski co-sponsored the
first Joint Congressional Resolution to declare the week of March 8, 1981 National Women’s
History Week.
By 1987, Congress declared the entire month of March as Women’s History Month. Since then,
every U.S. president has also declared the month as Women’s History Month. In 2021, former President
Joe Biden called upon all Americans to observe the month and celebrate International Women’s
Day on March 8 with appropriate programs ceremonies and activities. He also invited all
Americans to visit WomensHistoryMonth.gov to learn more about the vital contribution of
women in our nation’s history.
Women served our nation during World War II, led organizing and litigation efforts during the
Civil Rights movement and represented the United States on the global stage in the fight for
human rights, peace and security. Far too often, their heroic efforts and stories have gone untold,
especially the millions of black women, immigrant women and others from diverse
communities who have strengthened America across every generation.
In our community, I am proud to serve on the Voorhees Township Committee with two women
who are role models, Deputy Mayor Michelle Nocito and Committeewoman Jacklyn Kassab
Fetbroyt. They will be sharing their thoughts in this column over the next two weeks.
The Voorhees Breakfast Rotary Club presents trivia night on Saturday at
Gibbsboro Fire Company No. 1. For more information, contact Roger Leonard at raljr@log-
insurance.com or call (856) 627-2600, ext. 427.
Voorhees Township’s annual free rabies clinic will be held May 3 from 9 a.m. to noon at
Lions Lake Complex. For more information, contact the township clerk’s office at (856) 429-
7757 or email pets@voorheesnj.com
The Animal Welfare Association is hosting a spay/neuter clinic for feral cats in Voorhees
throughout the entire year. The initiative is part of the Alley Cat Rescue’s Global Feral Fix
Challenge, reinforcing AWA’s commitment to humane solutions for community cats. For more
information, visit www.awanj.org or contact Jaime Moore at jaimem@awanj.org
