Moms on the Run

Indira Ghandi, the first and only prime minister of India. Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. Jackie Joyner-Kersee, deemed the "first lady" of track and field and one of the all-time greatest athletes in the heptathlon. These, and many other women, have changed history. 

March is Women's History Month in the U.S., UK and Australia. While it began with a single day — International Women's Day on March 8 — it has been observed in some shape or form since 1911. It was officially commemorated by the United Nations in 1975 and signed into proclamation by President Jimmy Carter. As with Black History Month, organizers for Women's History Month wanted to ensure future generations will inherit an accurate account of the contributions of women throughout history. By highlighting women who have made a difference in history, it opens up that world of possibilities to young girls.

Following is a short list of notable women we found at Scholastic.com who have been an influence in history. There are many others we could add to the list. Who has inspired you?

Rosa Parks, called the "mother of the civil rights movement," is best known for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott. But Parks was a lifelong activist who had been challenging white supremacy long before then. She stated, "I had been pushed around all my life and felt at this moment that I couldn’t take it any more."

One of the most famous Americans in history, Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in 1849 and personally helped free 70 enslaved people — and aid hundreds more — as the most-well known “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. She was often referred to as the "Moses of her people."

​While Tubman did not create the Underground Railroad, she most likely used this network of escape routes and safe houses when she and her brothers escaped north. Tubman returned to the South many times to help lead others to freedom. Her success led slaveowners to post a $40,000 reward for her capture or death, however, she was never caught and never lost a "passenger."