DESIGNATING MARCH 2026 AS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH IN DELAWARE AND HONORING THE LEADERSHIP AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF WOMEN THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY.

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Wilson-Anton & Rep. Heffernan & Rep. Morrison & Sen. Lockman

Reps. Osienski, Berry, Bush, Carson, Hilovsky, K. Johnson, Neal, Romer, Ross Levin, Kamela Smith, Michael Smith, Snyder-Hall, K. Williams, Minor-Brown, Harris; Sens. Sokola, Cruce, Hansen, Hoffner, Huxtable, Mantzavinos, Pinkney, Sturgeon, Wilson, Brown, Buckson, Hocker, Lawson, Paradee, Pettyjohn, Poore, Richardson, Seigfried, Townsend, Walsh

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 99

DESIGNATING MARCH 2026 AS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH IN DELAWARE AND HONORING THE LEADERSHIP AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF WOMEN THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY.

WHEREAS, women of all walks of life, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds have made considerable contributions throughout history, impacting young people of today; and

WHEREAS, women play a critical role in furthering public policy, equality, diversity, science, art, activism, education, and overall quality of life in our communities; and

WHEREAS, throughout centuries, suffragists, activists, and everyday women have had to continually fight for equal treatment and basic rights under the law; and

WHEREAS, exceptional suffragist leaders such as Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, Florence Bayard Hilles, Mabel Vernon, Mabel Lloyd Ridgely, Mary Ann Sorden Stuart, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton played a key role in implementing the 19th Amendment; and

WHEREAS, the women's suffrage movement also included many African American suffragists, such as Harriet Tubman, Daisy Elizabeth Adams Lampkin, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Mary Church Terrell, Ida B. Wells, Nannie Helen Burroughs, and the daughter of Delaware, Mary Ann Shadd Cary; and

WHEREAS, we acknowledge the trailblazing women who led to greater representation of women in political office, including Jeannette Rankin who became the first woman elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1916, Patsy Mink who became the first woman of color elected to Congress in 1964, Margaret Chase Smith who was the first woman to serve in both houses of the

and Shirley Chisolm who

became the first black candidate for a major-party nomination for the U.S. presidency and the first woman to run for the

's presidential nomination in 1972, and many more; and

WHEREAS, recognizing women and their accomplishments presents the opportunity to celebrate their contributions to society and the greater good, as well as acknowledge the struggles and barriers they have had to overcome to lay the foundation for future generations; and

WHEREAS, Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California; and

WHEREAS, Women’s History Week has its origins in the 1980s, and beginning in March 1987, National Women’s History Month has been celebrated in the United States annually; and

WHEREAS, March 8, 2026, commemorates International Women’s Day, honoring trailblazing women across our globe.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 153

rd

General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that March 2026 is Women’s History Month in Delaware and that all Delawareans are urged to commemorate and celebrate the accomplishments of women throughout our state and nation.

SYNOPSIS

This concurrent resolution designates March 2026 as Women's History Month honoring the leadership and achievements of women throughout history.