March is Women's History month.  Since its declaration by Congress in 1987, it has been a time to reflect on how far women have come in the past century and acknowledge the accomplishments of both the extraordinary and ordinary women who have helped shape and define our nation's history.

It is also a time to look critically at what we must continue to do as individuals, as family members, lawmakers, and as Americans to assure fair treatment and opportunity for women in the years ahead.  

It's personal to me.  When I graduated college in 1966, I had to take the LSAT (law school entry exam) at a men's college nearby.  Since graduating Harvard Law School, as one of 30 women in a class of 550, I witnessed many firsts.  My graduating class was the first to require law firms recruiting on campus to interview women as well as men.  In the ‘70s I was one of the first women to serve as Chief Counsel and Staff Director of a Senate subcommittee. I was around when the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, granting women the right to reproductive choice.  In the ‘80s, Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed as the first female Justice to the Supreme Court.  In the ‘90s my friend Madeleine Albright was sworn in as the first female secretary of state, and in 2008 Ann E. Dunwoody became the first ever four-star general in the United States military. 

As a Member of Congress, and one of 74 Congresswomen in the House of Representatives, I am committed to supporting legislation that protects a woman's right to reproductive choice and to fighting to eradicate rape and sexual assault in the military.  For the first time in our nation's history women make up 50% of the workforce, and we must continue to support the ever-changing roles that women are taking on in business, politics and education – in our communities and as wives, caregivers and breadwinners.  As a mother and grandmother, I hope I am a role model to my sons and daughters – and to countless “adopted” daughters who have served on my staff and those who will one day run for public office. 

Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony For Women Airforce Service Pilots http://www.flickr.com/photos/speakerpelosi/4425039605/in/set-72157623477193377/

American Women — A Gateway to the Library of Congress Resources for the Study of Women's History in the United States
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/index.html

U.S. Department of Education: Women's History Month Resources
http://www.free.ed.gov/subjects.cfm?subject_id=26&res_feature_request=0

Women of NASA
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/women/intro.html

Women's History Month
National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/history/womenhistory/