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Molly Murphy MacGregor
President and Co-Founder of the National Women's History Project
Molly Murphy MacGregor was taken aback by a teaching colleague's comment in 1972 that a semester-long women's history class that MacGregor was proposing to teach should take about an hour, "because what have women ever done, anyway?" The 40 high school students in her fully enrolled classes the next year left with a very different perspective. more >>
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Questions and Answers
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Q: Why did you decide you wanted to have a woman's history month? - Brittany, 4th Grade, from Long Island
A: GI was teaching women's history at the local community college. Women in my class did a project to see what their children were learning about women's history. In their research they discovered that there were very few books about women in the school libraries and that even those few books were rarely checked out. I thought if we established a special time to honor and recognize women, teachers would begin to teach about women and ask students to do reports on women. All this began over 21 years ago. We started with a week and expanded to a month. Our goal is to have women's history included in the classroom throughout the entire school year.
Q: Was it hard to organize the NWHM (National Womans History Month)? - Brittany, 4th Grade, from Long Island
A: Getting the United States Senate and the House of Representatives to pass a Congressional Resolution is not easy, but there were many people and organizations who helped make it happen. The success of National Women's History Month has made it all worthwhile.
Q: Do you have info on Hillary Clinton? - Chris, 5th Grade, from New York City
A: We have lots of information about Hillary Clinton. Biographical information "about her is in almost any current women's history biographical dictionary, plus there are hundreds of articles and dozens of books written about her. If you type her name into word search, you'll find many references to "articles and to websites that feature information about her.
Q: Who is Sybil Ludington? - Vinny, 4th Grade, from Long Island
A: Sybil Ludington was a revolutionary war hero very much like Paul Revere. She was only 16 years old when she rode through the night to warn of the British attack. She was extraordinarily brave because she didn't know if she would meet friendly or hostile people as she rode through the darkness.
Q: Where can I find a picture of Rosa Parks? - Anonymous, 5th Grade, from New York City
A: There are many pictures of Rosa Parks in books written about her. There is a small picture of her on the National Women's Hall of Fame website. The address is www.greatwomen.org. Once you are at their home page, click on Women of the Hall and then on P for Parks. You'll see a picture of Rosa Parks with a biography.
Q: Who is Sacagawea? - Ryan, 6th Grade, from New York City
A: Sacagawea was the Native American woman who helped guide the Lewis and Clark expedition. She was a young mother who had her new infant with her. The fact that a baby was with the expedition encouraged the American Indian tribes to be more welcoming, realizing that this expedition was probably more friendly than hostile. Her knowledge of several languages and her expertise with herbal medicines was essential for the success of the expedition.
Q: I'm looking for info on Clara Barton. - Erin, 5th Grade, from New York City
A: Clara Barton is one of the most famous women in American history. She founded the American Red Cross. During the Civil War she fearlessly entered the battlefield to tend to injured and dying men. She is in the National Women's Hall of Fame. The web address is www.greatwomen.org. Once you are at the home page, click on Women of the Hall and then on B for Barton.
Q: Who is Laura Ingalls Wilder? - Anonymous, 6th Grade, from New York City
A: Laura Ingalls Wilder was a writer. She wrote a whole series of books from which the television program Little House on the Prairie was adapted. Her books are readily available in most school libraries. More information about her can be found in almost any book that includes American women writers.
Q: Is is hard to be the president of the national woman's history month project? - Brittany, 4th Grade, from Long Island
A: Being President of the National Women's History Project is a great honor. I get to work with wonderful teachers throughout the country. There are times when things seem difficult, but that is true about all the important things we do in life. The change I see in the knowledge that young people have about women is definitely worth doing work that is sometimes hard.
Q: Were you thinking of making Woman's History month more noticable, for example, like a holiday? - Brittany, 4th Grade, from Long Island
A: We are always trying to make Women's History Month more noticeable because it is such a good way to remind people of the extraordinary accomplishments of women. National Women's History Month should have activities throughout the month that are celebrations and fun-filled, just like a holiday.
The responses and opinions contained herein are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Power to Learn or Cablevision.
RELATED LINKS
NATIONAL WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME
http://www.greatwomen.org
The women and men of Seneca Falls created the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1969, believing that the contributions of American women deserved a permanent home.
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