After 6 years of Celebrating “Women’s History Week”, the National Women's History Project petitioned Congress in 1987 to designate the month of March 1987 as “Women's History Month.” Since then, the President has proclaimed March each year as “Women's History Month”. This recognition celebrates the contributions women have made to the United States and recognizes the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields.
Anna Weinstock Schneider (1895-1979)
Schneider was known throughout her professional career as Anna Weinstock. She was the first woman to serve in the Federal mediation service. She was appointed a mediator with the United States Conciliation Service, now known as the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, in 1922. She was 22-years-old. In her early years, she successfully resolved a bitter strike at the Rayon Mills of the American Bemberg and Glanzstoff Corporation in Elizabethton, Tenn. She became the nation’s expert on the heavily unionized needle-trades industry.
She was given the Government's Distinguished Service Award in 1957 for her pioneering work in mediation. She retired from Federal service in 1965, at age 70, and continued to serve as an arbitrator in labor disputes.
Mary Parker Follett (1868-1933)
Follett was a pioneer in the areas of informal education and community building. She looked at how conflict affects organizations and their employees. Before the publication of the iconic book, Getting to Yes, Follett was a proponent of interest-based conflict resolution, and she presented concepts that the authors included in their book. This includes on the focus on interests, rather than positions, in a negotiation. Follett’s contribution is mentioned in the book’s acknowledgements. Her themes are a huge part of the current thinking of conflict resolution professionals.
Follett was one of the first people to apply psychological insight and social science findings to the study of industrial organization and conflict. Follett published her ideas in two books, The New State (1918) and Creative Experience (1924). Business leaders sought her advice on how to manage their enterprises, and she spoke extensively at national and international business conferences. Her third book, Dynamic Administration (2003), featured the speeches she gave at these conferences. It was published posthumously. The Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) regularly presents the Mary Parker Follett Award to an individual who has shown a passion and willingness to take risks in tackling a contemporary problem or opportunity in the field of dispute resolution; has used innovative and experimental techniques; and draws upon the talents and ideas of all persons involved.
Credits:
Created with images by Jonathan Stutz - "Demonstration" • Humusak - "book vintage old" • Willee Cole - "stick figures or men with union leader on picket line " • Alex - "microphone on blurred conference hall" • peshkov - "Old loud speaker" • peshkova - "businessman standing on podium" • ultrapro - "vintage horn speaker for the public relations" • ibreakstock - "Mediation word cloud"