The Research & Interpretation Committee of the National Collaborative of Women’s History Sites (NCWHS) has been reviewing President Biden’s Executive Order 14121. Executive Order 14121 — Recognizing and Honoring Women’s History highlights the contributions of women and girls to United States history, and most specifically it states, “This order directs actions that will strengthen the Federal Government’s recognition of women’s history and the achievements of women and girls from all backgrounds…By honoring the women leaders of the past, we tell a more complete story of America and help build a more equal and equitable present and future.”
Under the direction of Executive Order 14121, the National Park System Advisory Board Committee got to work. The December 2024 Interim Recommendation states:
“The purpose of the EO was to undertake studies and advance recommendations to improve the recognition of the contributions of women and girls throughout our Nation’s history. As directed by the EO, the National Park System Advisory Board (NPSAB) created the Committee on Recognizing Women’s History (Committee) to provide recommendations to direct the actions of the Secretary of the Interior, and agencies operating within the Department of the Interior, for the next 10 years.”
However, the current administration is hostile towards the work of the National Park System. In 2025 we have seen significant funding cuts to the National Park Service (1) as well as permitting the National Park System Advisory Board’s charter to expire on May 24, 2025 (2). With the decrease in funding and permitting the NPS Advisory Board’s charter to lapse, and the Board’s subsequent termination pending the approval of a new charter, the ability to complete the recommendation on recognizing and honoring women’s history has been stalled. The most recent interim recommendation available to the public was uploaded to the National Park Service website in December 2024 (3), coinciding with the last time the Advisory Board met. The NPSAB was scheduled to meet in March 2025; however, that meeting was “postponed.” (4)
It is the belief of the NCWHS that the public deserves access to the most up to date recommendations of the NPSAB Committee on Recognizing Women’s History. Starting in August 2024, the committee held bi-weekly meetings to conduct administrative work and engage with subject matter experts including current and retired NPS leaders, nonprofit leaders, historians, and scholars. As a committee, members have had important, substantive discussions about how best to engage the experiences of diverse women in U.S. history, and the NCWHS is dedicated to making that information accessible. For that reason, the Collaborative will host what was to be the DRAFT Final Recommendation in Response to Executive Order 14121, Updated March 2025 (5) on its website, where it can remain accessible to the public in the absence of an active NPSAB. In addition to this document, various other references made in this post have been saved as a PDF and hosted through the NCWHS website to preserve the integrity of what is written here. In a time where webpages are easily edited or removed, we want to keep a record supporting what is written here for any that come to read it.
May we all continue to fight for the recognition of women and girl’s in the history of the United States. We know they were there, as we are sure we are here today. Let us make it exceptionally hard to erase ourselves as well as our foremothers.
(1) How the National Park System is Faring Under the Trump Administration, TIME (7/13/2025)
(2) National Park System Advisory Board’s charter expired on May 24, 2025
(3) DRAFT Interim Recommendations in Response to Executive Order 14121, Updated December 2024
(4) National Park System Advisory Board’s Meetings
(5) DRAFT Final Recommendation in Response to Executive Order 14121, Updated March 2025
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