Senate Concurrent Resolution 603

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION DESIGNATING MARCH 2006 AS "WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH IN MISSISSIPPI" AND RECOGNIZING THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S HISTORY PROJECT.

WHEREAS, March 2006 is National Women's History Month; and

WHEREAS, in National Women's History Month, we honor all women who have touched this nation's history and our own personal history, women who contribute to the people and ideals of this great country; and

WHEREAS, the 2006 Women's History Month theme, "Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams" honors and recognizes the spirit of possibility and hope set in motion by generations of women in their creation of communities and their encouragement of dreams; and

WHEREAS, community comes in many forms, and dreams change, expand, and are sometimes fulfilled. Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams honors women for bringing communities together and restoring hope in the face of impossible odds; and

WHEREAS, American women of every race, class and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways. Women's history becomes a story of inspiration and hope, a story of courage and tenacity, a story of possibility and purpose. Women's history is our nation's story. It is the story of how women built communities and inspired and nurtured dreams and how they will continue to do so; and

WHEREAS, the 2006 National Women's History Month Honorees: Juana Gutierrez, Political Activist and Community Organizer, Aileen Hernandez, Union Organizer and Human Rights Activist, Winona LaDuke, Author and Environmentalist, Cindy Marano, Economic Justice Activist and Public Policy Visionary, Mary Aloysius Molloy, Educator and Innovator, Nancy Skinner Nordhoff, Philanthropist and Environmentalist, Mary Taylor Previte, Pioneer and Advocate for Juvenile Justice, Betty Reid Soskin, Cultural Anthropologist and Writer, Mary Tsukamato, Educator, Writer, and Cultural Historian, and Marian Van Landingham, Artist and Community Leader; and

WHEREAS, to emphasize the role of women in our state, the Legislature in 2001 established the Mississippi Commission on the Status of Women to advise and consult with the Legislature and the executive branch on policies affecting the political status and other concerns of women in Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, despite these contributions, the role of American women in history has been consistently overlooked and undervalued, in the literature, teaching and study of American history; and it is with great pride that we recognize women who serve as role models in pioneering Mississippi's future:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby designate March 2006 as "Women's History Month in Mississippi" and recognize the honorees of the National Women's History Project who represent the theme of "Women: Builders of Communities and Dreams."

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be forwarded to the Mississippi Commission on the Status of Women to observe appropriate programs, ceremonies, activities and a copy be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.