Celebrating women’s accomplishments
Throughout history, gender equality has been a right many have struggled to achieve. Fortunately, as time went on, more opportunities presented themselves. During March, Women’s History Month gives individuals a chance to honor the generations of powerful women who contributed to the accomplishments and freedom many marginalized individuals have today.
March officially became women’s appreciation month in 1987. Since then, it has called attention to the various achievements women have made as time went on. The annual celebration pays homage to significant female figures in history who strived for equality.
“Women’s History Month is important because it highlights the influential women in the world and their impact on history,” DBHS senior Alexandria McCalla said.
Regrettably, multiple efforts made by women get overlooked, which is why acknowledging their importance to society is a crucial lesson that March reflects on. Powerful women underappreciated in their time, such as Rosalind Franklin, made sensational discoveries that would forever change the world. Franklin was a child of extraordinary brilliance in anti-feminist 1920s England.
After graduating from St. Paul’s Girls School, Franklin received a fellowship to research physical chemistry in Cambridge. However, the affairs associated with World War II made her give this up and join the British Coal Utilisation Research Association. There she studied the physical chemistry of coal and carbon to aid the war. From 1947 to 1950, Franklin studied x-ray diffraction technology at the State Chemical Laboratory in Paris alongside Jacques Méring, a French engineer.
It was in 1951 when she attended Biophysical Laboratory at King’s College as a researcher that would later help contribute to a fascinating discovery. Franklin started her study at King’s College when DNA was unfamiliar to researchers. While studying there, Franklin used the knowledge obtained from x-ray diffraction and put those practices into analyzing DNA. With this, she found data that would later lay down the base for James Watson and Francis Crick to discover that DNA is a double-helix polymer.
Women like Rosalind Franklin made and contributed to discoveries and accomplishments that impact several of the lives of others today. Many of the inventions individuals use daily are due to the bright minds of their female creators. From everyday appliances like the dishwasher to the windshield wiper, women have contributed various useful items to society. However, their work did not stop at inventing.
Mildred Ella Didrikson, dubbed Babe Didrikson, was a bold and confident woman who challenged many social stigmas in sports. As a young child in Texas during the 1910s, she grew up with an immense love for sports. Being widely recognized for her talent was something Didrikson yearned for growing up. Her dream was then realized when she began participating in sporting competitions.
Didrikson took part in championships that brought her a lot of awards and fame, but with that came some hardships. It was not common for women to engage in sports at the time, and because of this, Didrikson experienced sexist behavior and allegations. Despite that, she continued to excel and make history inspiring several women along the way.
Female empowerment does not end with these historical figures. As society evolves and expands, more women can come together to make a better and brighter future that encompasses all. As March passes, the progression of rights, equity, and equality for women never ceases and only evolves by reflecting on its pioneers.
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