International Women's Campaign

Women’s Day, a day to honour women, their unique abilities and strengths, a day to celebrate womanhood, while the rest of the year, they are left to battle the Victorian-era mentality and fight for the most quintessential rights. The recognition of International Women’s Day is itself an outcome of a battle; the labour movement began in New York City where women marched through the city, demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote. National Women’s Day was first observed in the US on February 28, 1909, by the Socialist Party of America. In 1911, demanding kindred rights, a textile strike took place in Lawrence, Massachusetts, also called the ‘Bread and Roses strike’ where the women workers demanded fair wages and dignified working conditions.

This slogan inspired James Oppenheim’s poem by the same title, where he writes:
"As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing: “Bread and roses! Bread and roses!”

International women’s day was officially recognised by the United Nations in 1977, a day meant to create awareness about women’s issues, after almost seven decades of the first women protest.  
The colours that commemorate this day are purple, green and white. The colour purple is a symbol of justice and dignity; to eliminate patriarchy and structural inequalities. The colour green symbolises hope; for advocating and achieving equality and the colour white signifies purity; to promote fairness for all.

This year’s theme, “Women in Leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world” aims at celebrating the prodigious efforts of women and girls in tough times like a pandemic who’ve contributed their bit in ensuring and shaping a more equal future for all. As UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcukva said, “We need women’s representation that reflects all women and all girls in all their diversity and abilities, and across all cultural, social, economic and political situations. This is the only way we will get the real societal change that incorporates women in decision-making as equals and benefits us all.” For a long time now, society has exchanged flowers to show gratitude towards women but it’s high time, that this outmoded formality gets rather swapped with fair salaries, equal participation, a fair distribution of employment and care work because women do not want flowers, presents or gifts, they want their rights.

This International Women’s Day let’s pledge to rejoice the diversity of womanhood in all its magnificent forms and work towards a significant paradigm shift where women and everyone who identifies themselves as a woman, are celebrated today and every day!