Today marks International Women's Day, a global day celebrating the achievements of women past, present and future. This day was initially marked to honor the efforts of suffragettes who fought for women's right to vote. Since then, the day has grown into a broader recognition of women's success, and of the progress toward equity between men and women that we still need to achieve.
In recognition of this day--and Women's History Month, which began last Friday--we at DOT are proud to launch two online celebrations of Women in Transportation History. And I wholeheartedly encourage you to see them both at www.dot.gov/womenandgirls.
These interactive combinations of text, photographs, and a timeline are a great start to what I hope will be a long-lasting project.
The first presentation features a collection of photographs and key historical moments of women in transportation going back to 1890. Viewers can slide a virtual frame across the collage chronologically to change what time period is active on their screen. The collage also features an alphabetical list of key figures that viewers can navigate. It's really quite an experience.
The collage uses elements borrowed from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and we thank them for their generosity, and their code.
Our second presentation is a more traditional timeline version of Women In Transportation History going all the way back to 1790. The timeline allows visitors to slide the active frame forward or backward in history.
When you visit the new exhibits online, please take a few moments to explore our redesigned Women and Girls web pages. There you'll find a range of resources and programs designed to help make girls more aware of the opportunities STEM education makes possible and young women more aware of the career paths open to them in transportation.
This year's theme for Women's History Month is Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. I think our new web presentations show that DOT's effort to promote STEM education and transportation careers to American women and girls is right in synch with the work of the National Women's History Project.
Of course, knowing the terrific folks in this Department, I'd be surprised if it were any other way. I want to congratulate everyone who had a hand in this terrific new project; thank you for your great work.
Since the founding of the United States, women have played an integral role in the development of transportation. And today, increasing numbers of women are making a critical difference in the safe and efficient movement of people and goods. At DOT, we salute these pioneers – past, present, and still to come.
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