The King County Council proclaimed the month of March as Women’s History Month. Councilmembers Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Claudia Balducci and Kathy Lambert co-sponsored the fourth annual proclamation on March 13.

The councilwomen are three of the 15 women who have served on the council, beginning with Bernice Stern in 1969. For the past 50 years, women from all over the county have represented the people of King County on the council.

The first woman to be elected to a city council was Carrie Shumway. In 1911, Shumway was elected to the Kirkland City Council, a year after Washington women were permanently given the right to vote.

“It’s important to remember we have come a long way so that we know we will be able to go further,” Lambert said. “I want to continue to increase the awareness of modern day challenges, but to remember we have made great progress.”

King County’s 2019 proclamation recognizes and celebrates “the contribution women have made to our nation’s history and will make to its future.”

The council had the opportunity to celebrate, noting that “women of every race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability and socioeconomic background continue to make historic contributions to the growth and strength of King County, Washington Sate, our nation and the global community.”

Receiving the proclamation was chair of the King County Women’s Advisory Board (WAB) Sarah Reyneveld.

“The WAB appreciates the opportunity to partner with the King County Council to help strengthen women’s access to justice, improve wage equity and support family-friendly work places,” she said. “We look forward to continuing to work with the council to further improve child care access and affordability throughout King County.”

To celebrate Women’s History Month, a Womxn’s History Month Panel will take place on March 25 at the King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, on the ninth Floor (Room E-942) in Seattle. The fourth annual panel discussion will be co-sponsored by councilwomen Lambert, Balducci and Kohl-Welles. The free event is open to the public. Doors open at 11 a.m., with the panel starting at 11:45 a.m.