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A resolution recognizing the month of March as "Women's History Month" in Nashville and Davidson County, and further recognizing the contributions of Diane Nash as part of the month-long celebration.
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WHEREAS, the month of March is nationally recognized as "Women's History Month", and "International Women's Day" is annually marked on March 8th, both providing the opportunity to honor and celebrate the vital role of past and present women in American history, celebrate women's achievements, and raise awareness about women's equality; and
WHEREAS, in 1987, after being petitioned by the National Women's History Project, the United States Congress passed Public Law 100-9 which designated the month of March as "Women's History Month"; and
WHEREAS, International Women's Day was first celebrated in 1911. The United Nations began recognizing International Women's Day in 1975 as a day for women's rights and world peace; and
WHEREAS, this year, the Metropolitan Council Women's Caucus is highlighting the important contributions of Diane J. Nash in celebration of Women's History Month; and
WHEREAS, Diane J. Nash was born on May 15, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois, eventually making her way to Nashville, Tennessee when she transferred to Fisk University during her college career; and
WHEREAS, her experiences of the Jim Crow system in the South led her to become a notable civil rights activist, as well as a leader and strategist of the student-led wing of the Civil Rights Movement; and
WHEREAS, Nash strongly supported the direct nonviolent-protest philosophy and was elected chair of the Student Central Committee, and was part of the small group of students who "tested" racial discrimination at Nashville's lunch counters before the full-scale coordinated sit-ins; and
WHEREAS, notably, Diane Nash asked then-Mayor Ben West if he felt it was wrong to discriminate against people solely based on race or color, to which he replied "yes", leading Nashville to become the first s...
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