by Kaylin Lebo
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The impact women have had on Asian Student Achievement (ASA) has been undeniable–we would not be able to do what we do without the women working behind the scenes to achieve our mission. To honor the woman behind ASA, as well as every woman who has worked tirelessly to provide contemporary women with shoulders to stand upon, Asian Student Achievement wishes to reflect upon the history of this holiday to celebrate women and their work to make the world a better place.
The Herstory Behind Women’s History Month
Women’s History Month, sometimes stylized as “Women’s Herstory Month”, stems from Women’s History Week, an observance started by the Education Task Force of Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women–which in turn was inspired by International Women’s Day.1
In 1980, the National Women’s History Project (now active as the National Women’s History Alliance) spearheaded a movement to lobby the federal government into recognizing the holiday on a federal level. With support from other women’s groups and historians, the movement was successful–President Jimmy Carter issued a Presidential Proclamation recognizing the week in 1980, and Congress passed the resolution in 1981.
In 1987, Congress further declared the month of March as “Women’s History Month” through the passing of Public Law 100-9. Updated with additional resolutions from the bill’s inception to 1994, this bill requires U.S. Presidents to annually declare the observance of Women’s History Month every March.2
Every year, the National Women’s History Alliance also creates a theme to accompany Women’s History Month–for 2025, the theme is “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations,” chosen to highlight how women have historically taught and inspired others throughout history.3
The Importance of Women’s History Month
Women have been historically and systematically ignored for their roles in historical achievements, shaping culture, and promoting justice–therefore, Women’s History Month seeks to recognize the contributions and grit of women that have previously been overlooked by society as a whole. While it’s important to celebrate women of the past for their contributions to society, it’s equally important to celebrate and acknowledge the women of today–women in contemporary times are not only still making meaningful contributions to society, but also are still being ignored and overlooked in ordinary situations. Healthcare research and everyday safety regulations are known to misrepresent or simply outright ignore women when put into practice, which can lead to chronic, or even deadly, consequences.4
When it comes to the workplace, women face a glass ceiling–a systematic, intangible barrier preventing minorities from advancing further in their careers. Asian women in particular tend to face barriers in accessing senior roles and positions associated with leadership. In a 2022 report by management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, researchers found that “Asian Americans account for 9 percent of senior vice presidents[,] but just 5 percent of promotions from senior vice president to the C-suite,” with, “Asian American women mak[ing] up less than 1 percent of th[o]se promotions.”5
Sociologist Margaret Chin notes that in addition to typical sexist stereotypes women face, Asian women are also seen as hypersexual yet childlike, strict yet submissive.6 These contradictory stereotypes are often taken to be true and weaponized against them, ultimately culminating in Asian women and their leadership capabilities being devalued in the workplace, with some women choosing to forgo promotions or leadership opportunities–if they happened to be considered for these roles in the first place.
In the aforementioned McKinsey & Company report, a participant also expressed that their struggle in climbing the corporate ladder was one of confidence, with their, “cultural upbringing mak[ing] it more difficult to feel comfortable advocating for [them]self.”₃ This feeling of inadequacy is something that Asian Student Achievement hopes to combat through an interpersonal approach through our one-on-one coaching program and vocational soft skills workshops. “Women’s Herstory Month is important to me and Asian Student Achievement,” says Shane Carlin, the President & CEO of Asian Student Achievement. Carlin hopes that Asian Student Achievement’s coaching efforts, “can empower young women to speak out and command the skillsets that they possess to move through the pipeline to leadership roles.”
Women’s History Month’s inception is steeped deep in meaning–after all, it’s important to not only celebrate women for what they’ve done but for who they are as well. To acknowledge the systematic and historical disparities women face is to create a better foundation of knowledge that can be used to find solutions to these issues.
Celebrating Women’s History Month
While there are no formal traditions associated with Women’s History Month, there are many ways to celebrate and educate yourself. Take some time out of your day to learn more about women and their stories–from historical and public figures to the women who you share your life with, everyone has their own, rich, lived experiences. Avery Tortora, a Videography Intern for Asian Student Achievement, has made it her goal this month to, “continue to celebrate and educate [her]self on all of the powerful women in the world who have worked hard so that [she] can have a more successful future.”
Don’t know where to start? Here are 5 famous Asian and Asian-American women and their impactful stories to get you started.
1. Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist and author whose mission is to make education accessible for young girls across the world. With her father being a teacher for the children in her village in Swat Valley, Malala had a passion for education. When the Taliban took control of her town, they forbade girls from going to school–something that deeply and rightfully upset Malala. From that point on, Malala made it her mission to speak out on behalf of the girls in her village and their right to learn. However, her advocacy for girls’ rights to education made Malala a target. In 2012, a masked gunman shot Malala in the head as her school bus was on its way back home–leaving her comatose and in a dire state of health. After making a full recovery due to multiple rounds of surgery, Malala moved to the United Kingdom and established the Malala Fund to advocate and further raise money on behalf of female education across the world. For her charity and advocacy around vulnerable girls’ access to education, Malala received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, making her the youngest Nobel Laureate at 17 years old.7
2. Patsy Mink
Patsy Mink (1972-2002) was a Japanese-American politician and activist who fought for civil rights and equality. After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School in 1951 and passing the bar exam a few years later, Mink moved back to Hawai’i, but was unfortunately unable to find a job due to her interracial marriage. Galvanized by this act of discrimination, Mink founded the Oahu Young Democrats in 1954, and was a private attorney for the House of Representatives for Hawai’i (then a territory). Mink successfully won a seat in the Hawai’i State Senate in 1962 before winning a seat in the House of Representatives in 1964–making her the first woman of color to serve Congress. During her time in Congress, Mink helped to sponsor and author bills that became fundamental legislation in promoting racial and gender equality, such as Title IX, the Early Childhood Education Act, and the Women’s Educational Equity Act. To memorialize Mink for her work in promoting educational rights, and for her work on the legislation, Title IX was renamed to the “Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act” following her passing. Thanks to Mink, efforts to advance equality and accessibility in education have been successful.8
3. Michelle Yeoh
Yeoh Choo Kheng PSM SPMP, known professionally as Michelle Khan and Michelle Yeoh, is a Malaysian actress and activist. Yeoh rose to prominence starring in Hong Kong action movies alongside the likes of Maggie Cheung and Jet Li before eventually making waves in the United States and United Kingdom. In 2023, Yeoh won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Evelyn Quan Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once–making her the first Asian actress to win the award, and the first Malaysian to win an Oscar. Off the stage, Yeoh dedicated much of her time to charity and activism. Most recently, she scrutinized how women are disproportionately left to sugger during natural disasters or times of crisis through an opinion essay published in The New York Times. Yeoh’s grit and dedication to both acting and activism has been a sight to behold.9
4. Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka is a Japanese tennis player and activist. Born to a Japanese mother and a Haitian-American father, Osaka spent most of her youth in New York and Florida, the latter state being where she trained in tennis full-time. Under advisement from her father, Osaka chose to represent Japan for her professional career in hopes of gathering better opportunities–which was a sound decision. In 2018, Osaka won two Grand Slam tournaments, with one culminating in a win against her idol Serena Williams, and both tournaments resulted in her being Japan’s first Grand Slam winner. Osaka’s discussion surrounding the mental health of athletes is another point of contention–born our of backlash for wanting to opt out of post-match interviews during her 2021 French Open, as well as her withdrawal from the tournament, Osaka has spoken about the importance of mental health and compassion from tournament organizers as a whole. Osaka’s activism doesn’t end there–not only has she been vocal against anti-Asian hate crimes, but she has been explicit in her support for the Black Lives Matter movement through her face masks memorializing black American victims of racism and police brutality during the 2020 Grand Slam Tournament. Having won 4 Grand Slam tournaments and participated in the Olympic Games, Osaka is an inspirational athlete whose activism is expansive.10
5. Josefa Llanes Escoda
Josefa Llanes Escoda (1898-1945) was a Filipino social worker, activist, and suffragette who fought for women’s right to vote in the Philippines. Being a social worker for the Philippine Chapter of the American Red Cross allowed Escoda to further her education in the United States, where she obtained a master’s degree in social work from Colombia University in 1925. In 1935, the right to vote was revoked for women across the Philippines with the rejection of the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act and the authorization of the Tydings-McDuffie Act in the 1935 Constitution. However, the Constitution offered if at least 300,000 women voted in favor of suffrage within 2 years of the Constitution’s ratification, then women would legally be allowed to vote. As the President of the National Federation of Women’s Club (NFWC), Escoda used her influence to only educate others on women’s right to vote, which resulted in the 300,000 votes necessary to grant women the right to vote. In 1940, Escoda created the Girl Scouts of the Philippines to inspire young girls to strive for leadership, furthering her impact on the lives of women in the Philippines.11
Beyond reading works from feminist scholars or listening to female peers, one can also patronize women-owned businesses, volunteer time to organizations that serve women, or engage in advocacy for them. Alana Zhu, a member of Asian Student Achievement’s Board of Directors, says that for Women’s History Month, she, “want[s] to continuously spread awareness on and advocate for women’s health, especially when it comes to bodily autonomy.” Zhu plans to continue to post about these issues to her followers online, and to engage in discussions surrounding the topic with her peers in order to create impact in her community.
Zhu has always been passionate about women’s rights–and as someone who has had the hallmarks of leadership her whole life, Zhu was disheartened by the lack of representation Asian women have in leadership roles. It was her dissatisfaction on this front that brought Zhu to her current position at Asian Student Achievement, where she works to help make leadership and the skills necessary to embody it more accessible to Asian women. “As a member of ASA’s Board of Directors, I want to set an example and show that there are women like me who can take on my type of roles and be taken seriously,” Zhu says. “I want to empower women of future generations.” Zhu exemplifies what it means to be a woman in leadership and what Asian Student Achievement stands for.
Footnotes
- “Women’s History Month.” National Women’s History Museum, http://www.womenshistory.org/womens-history/womens-history-month. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025. ↩︎
- “Women’s History Month.” ↩︎
- “Women’s History Theme 9-2024.” National Women’s History Alliance, 13 Feb. 2025, nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/womens-history-theme-9-2024/. ↩︎
- Perez, Caroline Criado. “The Deadly Truth about a World Built for Men – from Stab Vests to Car Crashes.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 Feb. 2019, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/feb/23/truth-world-built-for-men-car-crashes. ↩︎
- Chui, Michael, et al. “Asian American Workers: Diverse Outcomes and Hidden Challenges.” McKinsey & Company, McKinsey & Company, 7 Sept. 2022, http://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/asian-american-workers-diverse-outcomes-and-hidden-challenges. ↩︎
- Yam, Kimmy. “Asian American Women Fall off by 80% at Corporate Leadership Levels, a New Report Says.” NBCNews.Com, NBCUniversal News Group, 14 Sept. 2022, www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/asian-american-women-fall-80-corporate-leadership-levels-new-report-sa-rcna46546. ↩︎
- “Malala’s Story.” Malala Fund, malala.org/malalas-story?sc=footer. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025. ↩︎
- Alexander, Kerri Lee. “Patsy Mink.” National Women’s History Museum, 2019. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025. ↩︎
- Yeoh, Michelle. “Michelle Yeoh: The Crisis That Changed My Life 8 Years Ago Keeps Happening.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Mar. 2023, http://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/13/opinion/michelle-yeoh-oscars-earthquake-relief.html. ↩︎
- Rothberg, Emma. “Naomi Osaka.” National Women’s History Museum, 2022, http://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/naomi-osaka. ↩︎
- Alporha, Veronica. “Manuel L. Quezon and the Filipino women’s suffrage movement of 1937.” Plaridel Journal, vol. 19, no. 1, June 2022, pp. 115–143, https://doi.org/10.52518/2021-08valpor. ↩︎
Images Cited
Photo of the Sonoma County Commission on Women. National Women’s History Alliance, https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/about-nwha/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
Photo of a workplace. Canva. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
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