Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MARCH 1 - 7, 2023 UCW 11 Each March, Women's History Month highlights the contributions of women throughout history. Women have played a vital role throughout the history of the world, even during eras and in countries where they have been marginalized and their freedoms limited. ere's no shortage of milestone moments in women's history, and the following are some everyone can appreciate and commemorate this March and beyond. •Marie Curie wins the Nobel Prize: In 1903, chemist and physi- cist Marie Curie and her husband, Pierre, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work involving radiation. Curie became the first woman to win the distin- guished prize, but she didn't stop there, winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. at made Cu- rie a trailblazer of a different sort, as she became the first person to win or share two Nobel Prizes. •American women are granted the right to vote: e passage of the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution on August 18, 1920, guaranteed all American women the right to vote. e passage of the amendment, which was a byprod- uct of the hard work of women who had been fighting for suffrage for decades, enfranchised more than 25 million American women in the months ahead of the 1920 presi- dential election. ough this was a momentous event for American women, the United States was not the first nation to grant voting rights to women. at distinction belongs to the colony of South Australia, which allowed women to vote in local elections in 1861. •Women serve in the armed forces during World War II: WWII has inspired countless books and Hollywood productions, but few have recognized or emphasized the role women played in that conflict. at's unfortunate and mislead- ing, as the U.S. Army established the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps on May 15, 1942. Later known as the Women's Army Corps, or WAC, this women's branch of the U.S. Army was initially led by Colo- nel Oveta Culp Hobby, who later became just the second woman to serve in a presidential cabinet. Roughly 150,000 women served in the WAAC or WAC during World War II, with some stationed in Europe, North Africa and New Guinea. •e National Organization for Women is founded: An American feminist organization, NOW was founded on June 30, 1966 and has since left an indelible mark on American society. Since its incep- tion, NOW, which has an estimated membership of roughly half a million, has fought against dis- crimination and for equal rights for women. •Iceland makes equal pay the law of the land: In 2018, Iceland became the first country in the world to mandate that men and women in the same job be paid the same amount. is marked a major step forward for women, who have historically been paid less than their male counterparts holding the same positions. Women's History Month is a great time to recognize and cel- ebrate the many contributions women have made throughout world history. Celebrate milestone moments in women's history a STAFF REPORT FEATURE Women's Army Corps Maj. Charity Adams, 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion Commander, and Army Capt. Abbie Noel Campbell, 6888th CPD Executive Officer, inspect the first soldiers from the unit to arrive in England, Feb. 15, 1945. e only all-African American Women's Army Corps unit sent to Europe during World War II, the 6888th was responsible for clearing years' worth of backlogged mail in both England and France. (Photo courtesy National Archives) Above: Frustrated with President Woodrow Wilson's inaction on woman suffrage, the Na- tional Women's Party began picketing in front of the White House to press for voting rights for women. ey began peacefully protesting in January 1917 and continued for nearly 30 months until Congress passed a joint resolution proposing a 19th amendment on June 4, 1919. (Photo courtesy National Archives) Below: Marine Corps Capt. Elizabeth A. Okoreeh-Baah, the first female MV-22 Osprey pilot, stands on a flightline in Iraq after a combat operation, March 12, 2008. (Photo by Marine Corps Cpl. Jessica Aranda, courtesy Department of Defense) Above: Army Lt. Col. Lisa Jaster was 37 years old and a mother of two when she graduated from Ranger School in 2015. She was the first woman Army Reserve soldier to earn the Ranger Tab and the third woman overall. Jaster graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 2000 and served in the Army's Engineer Corps. (Photo courtesy National Archives) Below from left: Women's Army Corps veteran Marion Clift, Army veteran Betty Downs, Army veteran Sue Williams and veteran Army nurse Beverly Reno walk away from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier after laying a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 22, 2015. (Photo by Rachel Larue)