The history of our country is tightly interwoven with the history of women. Women have done many things to improve their communities and the world.

To honor these contributions, the month of March is Women's History Month.  All over the United States women are making a difference in their communities, and this month celebrates them.

In August 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified by the U.S. government, giving women the right to vote. Up until that time women were denied such rights because it was widely believed that men should be the only ones to make the decisions in our country.

Women worked together to attain equal rights.  The Women's Suffrage Movement, founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, worked to achieve the right to vote for women. The Nineteenth Amendment allowed women to take a more active role in political and civic arenas.

In 1921, Margaret Sanger founded the American Birth Control League (ABCL), which eventually became the Planned Parenthood Federation of America.  The ABCL provided married women with health services, such as contraceptive devices, counseling, and follow-up visits, that were not widely available before. These services gave women more control of their bodies.

A few years later Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean, an impressive feat for any aviator at that time.

The Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade in 1973 gave women the right to have an abortion, and in 1981 Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court.

To show your support of women and what they have done, please wear purple every Thursday of this month!

Green beer and pancakes, long lines at bars, crowded house parties, and shirts that say "Kiss me, I'm Irish" are all staples of St. Patrick's Day in Chico. Known as one of the largest "student holidays" of the year, St. Patrick's Day has become a notorious excuse for students to drink and party.

Unfortunately, the real meanings of holidays such as St. Patrick's Day and Cesar Chavez Day are often lost in the college lifestyle. Instead of remembering and respecting these holidays, many students forget what these days are intended for and turn them into a day full of excessive drinking.

Many Chico bars hold events to promote "St. Patty's Day." One of these events was a "Black and White Party" where the first 200 people in line wearing black and white received passes to cut the line on St. Patrick's Day. But this kind of event has nothing to do with the original celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

So why do we celebrate St. Patrick's Day?

Known as the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick was initially born in Britain. At the age of 16, he was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who attacked his family's estate and brought him to Ireland, where he was sold into slavery.

It is said that six years into his captivity, St. Patrick heard the voice of God that told him it was time to escape back to England.

Upon his return to Britain, St. Patrick began his religious training and eventually became an ordained priest. St. Patrick claimed to have another vision in the form of a dream that the Irish were calling him back to Ireland to convert them to Christianity.

St. Patrick returned to Ireland with the Pope's blessing and started converting the Gaelic Irish to Christianity. During his work in the country, he established monasteries, schools, and churches while also developing a clergy.

It is believed that St. Patrick died on March 17, 461 A.D. The day has been celebrated as St. Patrick's Day for thousands of years to commemorate the saint's missionary work.

So before you wake up on March 17, put on your "Kiss me, I'm Irish" shirt, and start pinching someone who is not wearing green, think about what you are truly celebrating.

Remember that being a college student is supposed to be fun, but "St. Patty's Day" is not just an excuse to drink as much as possible at house parties or bars. There is a historical value to this day, and it needs to be treated as such. So here is to what the Irish call "good health" - "Sláinte Mhath!"