For Immediate Release
SACRAMENTO – The California Legislative Women’s Caucus will celebrate Women’s History Month today by honoring women from around the state in the Assembly chambers. Each Assemblymember in all 80 districts will honor a woman who has contributed greatly to her community.
The Woman of the Year event was started in 1987 by then-Assemblywoman Bev Hansen (R) and then-Assemblywoman Sally Tanner (D), who noticed that the California Legislature had no events planned for the month of March, Women's History Month.
“Women’s History Month is not only a call to acknowledge the outstanding women whose names we know, but also a call to pay homage to the many women who have anonymously influenced our collective past. This celebration is an excellent way to honor the women who shape our state’s history,” said Legislative Women’s Caucus Chair, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara).
Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), vice chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus stated, “I hope these strong women also accept the responsibility that comes with it. It is all of our responsibility to hold the door open for the next generation of women leaders. We all need to help cultivate our future.”
The Assembly ceremony, where Assemblywoman Shirley Weber will be the keynote, will be followed by a luncheon where the honored women and legislators gather to hear a spoken word performance from Get Lit – Words Ignite, a nationally recognized organization that works to reach at-risk teens, stem dropout rates, and increase literacy among youth in Los Angeles. Get Lit fuses classic poetry with the spoken word movement and reaches over 20,000 at-risk teens each year.
The Senate forgoes a Capitol celebration, but many Senators celebrate an event in their district.
The Women’s Caucus is a bipartisan group of female legislators who advocate on behalf of women, children and families in California.
For a complete list of honorees for Woman of the Year, click here.
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