Women in History Tea

Our annual tea fundraiser this year will celebrate innovative women who shaped the history of tea: social, political, trade, business, and culture. It will be held on March 21, 2026, 2-4:30 p.m. at the home of Maureen Seitz, 1685 Fuerte Knolls Ln, El Cajon.

We are supporting the WIH Scholarship.  The cost will be $35. To register, contact Sandy Galea-Martinez at sagaleamartinez@gmail.com and she will email you more details. There will be giveaways which include a gift certificate for two at the Coral Tea House in Heritage Park and much more. Only the first 32 registrants will be accepted. No drop-ins “the day of” will be allowed.

 

Women in History Scholarship 

Applications due April 10, 2026

The Scholarship‘s purpose is to support young women interested in pursuing a career in the area of advocacy, research and/or education related to women’s studies, women’s history, social, political and/or environmental change.
Any female high school senior accepted to and attending a college or university, who is pursuing women’s studies, women’s history, social, political and/or environmental change may apply for this scholarship opportunity.  Additionally if she has non-profit, volunteering experience and or club experience in these areas it may be beneficial.

Women in History Scholarships for female high school seniors
Click for details.

Congratulations to last year’s Women in History Scholarship Winners!

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Women in History Presents!

Each year in celebration of  Women’s History month, we present our living history programs to 4^th through 8^th grade students in four East County school districts. Students, teachers, and we ourselves become keenly aware of the march of change in women’s lives throughout the centuries when we hear these women talk about their lives.

We begin to understand connections between women’s struggles for civil and political rights in parallel historical context with world struggles for peace, for abolition of slavery and the extension of civil rights to all people, and for environmental sanity.

 

 

We meet women who are pioneers in every field that once excluded women, e.g., science and technology, law and politics, the military (except as nurses and ambulance drivers), higher education, the skilled trades, all professions, arts and sports.

 

 

 

Some of the women we bring to life in these presentations are Sacagawea, Abigail Adams, Rachel Carson, Kate Sessions, Beatrix Potter, Clara Barton, Sonia Sotomayor, Alice Paul, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rosalind Franklin, Sally Ride, Sybil Ludington, Eleanor Roosevelt, Susan B. Anthony, and Amelia Earhart. We have brought our program to adults in East County too via OASIS classes that have been very well received.

 

This year marks our 35th year for Women in History in the schools. We hope you will be inspired to join us as your favorite woman in history.

 

 

Times have changed since 1881, but our mission has not: To advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education and advocacy.

The theme for Women’s History Month 2026 selected by the National Women’s History Project (NWHP, newly renamed to National Women’s History Alliance) is “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future” expands our understanding of sustainability beyond just environmental concerns. It encompasses financial sustainability, community resilience, leadership succession, and intergenerational equity. Whether developing green technologies, advancing economic justice, strengthening education systems, or building civic power – women are designing blueprints for sustainable transformation. This theme affirms that shaping a sustainable future means fostering systems that support both people and the planet. To learn more, go to https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/womens-history-theme-2026/.

Since 1991, the La Mesa-El Cajon Branch has assisted local schools in celebrating National Women’s History Month by donating materials to be displayed and utilized during March to raise student’s awareness of women’s contributions to history and their communities.

Celebrate Women Throughout the Year!

February 4, 2026 – National Girls and Women in Sports Day https://www.womenssportsfoundation.org/get-involved/ngwsd/

February 20, 2026 – World Day of Social Justice is a day recognizing the need to promote efforts to tackle issues such as poverty, exclusion and unemployment. Many organizations, including the UN and the International Labour Office, make statements on the importance of social justice for people.
http://www.un.org/en/events/socialjusticeday/

March 8, 2026 – International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.
https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

March 9-19, 2026 – United Nations Women Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) The main focus of the sixty-ninth session will be on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly. The review will include an assessment of current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action and the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
See more at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/how-we-work/commission-on-the-status-of-women/csw70-2026.

March 4, 2026 – Equal Pay Day was originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages. See more at: https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/simple-truth/.

May 10, 2026 – Mother’s Day
See more at: https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/resources/commemorations/history-of-mothers-day/

June 23 – Title IX enacted on this date in 1972 (“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance…”) and signed by President Nixon on July 1, 1972. The Department of Education released in July 2022 that they would strengthen protections for students who experience sexualharassment and assault at school, and they would help protect LGBTQI+ students from discrimination. See more at: https://www.justice.gov/crt/title-ix-education-amendments-1972

July 19 and 20, 1848 – First Women’s Rights Conference
https://www.history.com/topics/womens-rights/seneca-falls-convention

Women in History Timeline of Historic Events
https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/womens-history-us-timeline