The Stealth Holiday – Celebrating Women
By Yolanda
Miranda
In 1977, The United Nations
proclaimed March 8 as International Woman’s Day (IWD), honoring the
struggles and contributions women have made that empower us as equal members of
society.
Women were involved in winning the
eight-hour work day, including not having to bring work home from sewing
factories and making their children work for the owners.
Women fought for child labor laws to
stop children from being forced to work in factories and fields.
I know about this because I come from a
migrant farmworker family and along with other children had to work in the
fields beginning at five years of age. Our formal education was between the
harvest seasons and took place in many different schools since we followed the
crops.
On March 8, women throughout
the world celebrate this day with events concerning the various issues still
affecting women today, their families and society. They are organized and
planned by women and open to the public or students to raise awareness of the
contributions women of all ages, color and sexual preference have made in their
communities and on global issues, as well.
Many of the national women groups in
this country will be holding local peace marches in their communities or
attending the largest one in Washington, D.C. sponsored by Code Pink, Women for
Peace to be held on March 8. They plan to collect over 100,000 petition
signatures “To Stop the War“ and will present them to officials in
Washington D.C.
Others will be holding
special events celebrating women’s role and contributions in their own
communities. Many will pay tribute to individual women who have unselfishly
committed themselves to bettering their community in the areas of health, legal
rights, peace activism, organizing tenants for affordable housing or against
unfair evictions or for programs to end violence against women, counseling women
for substance abuse, feeding the homeless, ending exploitation and sexual
harassment in the workplace and working with children.
And those women who help support their
families while earning the minimum wage as well as women in the arts. The
categories women are involved in to fight for justice, equality and dignity are
endless.
International Women’s Day
(IWD) encompasses women who are single, divorced, married, old, young, gay and
connects them globally. There is no discrimination when it comes to our
gender’s contribution to make a better tomorrow for the nation or the
world.
Under this society the
acknowledgment women receive by this country is only on Mothers Day,
Valentine’s Day and birthdays – holidays that earn millions for the
greeting cards companies. Have you ever seen seen a greeting card in celebration
of International Women’s Day?
A
movement was begun last year to nominate 1,000 women for the Nobel Peace Award,
because women’s role in promoting peace within families, communities and
their societies are taken for granted. This effort is to recognize women of
courage across the globe by identifying the visible efforts women make to end
injustice against women.
Women
athletics are recognized by participating in the Olympic Games. By earning a
medal they are assured to earn a high income in their field or by advertising
commercials which do not contribute to women’s causes.
Earning a gold medal, silver or just
by participating in the Olympic games is an honor for the the athletic who
trained so hard. In reality, how many women can afford to train long, hard hours
if they need to work?
A majority of
women who are not politically informed have no idea of this holiday celebrating
woman’s contribution, much less some men.
The advertising market is unwilling to
increase women’s consciousness about this special day so few women are
aware of the United Nations IWD proclamation, unless it’s brought to their
attention by politically conscious women.
March is also known as women’s
history month as a result of Women’s Studies departments in colleges and
universities.
If you are not in tune
with international women’s events, affiliated to a feminist political
party or political woman’s organization, March 8 is not celebrated in the
U.S. We celebrate our birthdays on the day we were born not a day before or day
later for the whole month, traditional holidays on the same date every year. So
why then is IWD not celebrated on March 8, on a yearly basis? That is the only
way it can become as important as any other special event on the
calendar.
Once again we women have the
responsibility to tackle this issue by celebrating it, raising political
consciousness in our communities and
internationally.
How you might ask?
Simply by uniting in our own communities to hold an event on March 8 or by
attending one to hear women speakers from other countries addressing the issues
effecting women in their countries. In Europe and countries around the world,
IWD is celebrated with a strong political themes including ending the occupation
of Iraq. In this, they are more advance than the U.S.
American women played a major role during
the Vietnam War to end it and we need to unite again to Get Out of Iraq to save
our young men and women one more time.
We also need to raise the minimum wage
so less women will be in poverty or homeless. An Initiative Petition for the
California ballot is now being circulated by the Peace and Freedom and Green
parties. It would raise the minimum wage in California to $8.75 per hour. Call
me at 399-2215 if you would like to help circulate
it.
Finally, ask some friends if they
know about International Women’s Day and what it stands for? Don’t
be surprised if they respond that they have never heard of it. Please educate
them about it.
And don’t forget
to thank your mother. Her contribution in giving birth to you goes beyond just
acknowledging her on Mother’s Day.
Posted: Wed - March 1, 2006 at 05:45 PM