While most of the nation is prepping up for St. Patrick’s Day in the coming weeks, International Women’s Day on March 8th will pass by without even a blip on the radar of the American mainstream. Hallmark cards and gift stores seem to forget this day, and one can only assume that it’s most likely because it’s a tougher sell, as other holidays and feast days often promote self-indulgence and materialism. Considering International Women’s Day attempts to stymie the gender roles that our previous feast day—St. Valentine’s—continues to perpetuate, it’s no wonder that the gift stores and marketing researchers have ignored this day of celebration.
International Women’s Day is very much celebrated in Europe and Russia, and is comparable to St. Valentine’s Day in the United States; however, IWD emphasizes equal rights over gaudy jewelry, and embraces the changing role of women in society, instead of blindly obeying the social expectation of superfluous spending.
Celebrated since 1911, International Women’s Day was established to bring international attention to women’s struggle for equal rights and suffrage, which was becoming more apparent in the days of massive global industrialization. Women were taking on a more noticeable role in society and their societal contributions were beginning to be acknowledged as equal to that of a man’s.
Behind the founding of International Women’s Day is Clara Zetkin, a German social activist and former secretary of the International Socialist Women. Zetkin saw the proletariat struggle and used it as her platform to speak out against worker exploitation, with a strong emphasis on the women’s equal rights and women’s suffrage movements. But Clara Zetkin was more than a warrior of the common people: she was a strong advocate of peace during World War I, and as a member of the German Parliament, she denounced German imperialism and militarism. 1 Zetkin’s impact on society didn’t remain overseas in Germany. Her voice was heard throughout the United States in international protests against Jim Crow Laws, and also campaigned against the conviction of the Scotsboro Boys. 2
Clara Zetkin devoted her life to the struggle for equal rights. Since her death in 1933, we have come a very long way in preserving and continuing her work, but our world cannot rest solely on what has been accomplished. More work still needs to be done in the struggle for equal rights, and each year we let a day like International Women’s Day pass by without acknowledgement and understanding, is yet another year we fall deeper into complacency.
Nevertheless, March is, and will continue to be, dominated by a Saint, whom many know nothing about; and when our hang over subsides, our attention will be directed toward a bunch of college basketball games, most of which we have little or no ties to, and another International Women’s Day will come and go without receiving the recognition it deserves.
International Women’s Day celebrations are, however, not completely bereft in the United States, and ending this week’s Lost & Found feature would be remiss if this was not brought to the attention of our much appreciated readers. The Women for Women organization and other groups have events planned to celebrate International Women’s Day. For more information, check the links below.
http://www.womenforwomen.org/bridge/index.php
http://www.internationalwomensday.com/events.asp
All References:
Simkin, John. Spartacus Educational, Clara Zetkin. 2003
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERzetkin.htm
The author of this article, John Flagler, welcomes feedback: john.flagler@tango-echo.com
