Gathered in the Hall of Women Leaders, the Harpswell girls celebrated International Women's Day the same way that ladies have been raising their voices for years: a sh*t ton of karaoke.
The festivities brought both dorms together for barbecue, singing and dancing, comedy and fashion shows, and general enthusiasm for recognizing women's empowerment. I honored my identity with about twelve chicken shish kabobs as I cheered along the performers.
A few of the girls asked me about the traditions in America for International Women's Day. The U.S. does not treat IWD as a national holiday, so we still have school and work. What better way to celebrate than to go to the job where you earn about 70% of men's pay for the same work? (A gap that grows larger with racial discrimination).
Then a second-year caught me off guard by suggesting, "Oh, is it not a big holiday because it was started by Russia?"
I responded with an intelligent, "Umm...I...really have no clue." Did the Russians really give us both International Women's Day and Donald Trump as president? Can collusion between our countries be traced back to the women?
I had to educate myself on yet another case of Russian interference.
History of IWD
Recognized around the world on March 8th, International Women's Day is not only a celebration of achievements, but also a call to continue fighting for change. As explained on the International Women's Day website, the holiday "is all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy and action - whatever that looks like globally at a local level."
The founding of IWD takes root in the early twentieth century, when ideologies were expanding and women's voices were finding platforms for critical debate as well as campaigns for change.
Here's a timeline adapted from the International Women's Day website:
1908: Around 15,000 women march through New York City demanding equality in the form of shorter workdays, just pay, and voting rights.
1909: The first National Woman's Day is declared by the Socialist Party of America on February 28. So we have the socialists to thank...the trail to Russia becomes more clear.
1913-1914: Turns out it was the Russians! Russian women observe their first International Women's Day and eventually change the date to March 8, which has remained the global date ever since. Europe continues to see the fight for women's rights.
More Recent Events
1996: The UN established an annual theme, starting with "Celebrating the past, Planning for the Future." Later themes include, "Women and Human Rights", "World Free of Violence Against Women", "Empower Rural Women, End Poverty & Hunger." The theme for 2018 is #PressForProgress
2011: President Barack Obama proclaimed March 2011 to be "Women's History Month" in the U.S., calling Americans to recognize the "extraordinary accomplishments" of women in shaping the country's history. The Secretary of State Hillary Clinton created the "100 Women Initiative: Empowering Women and Girls through International Exchanges."
And in 2017 and 2018: We can dive past the IWD, and into the global Women's Marches' advocacy for tangible change.
So with some roots in Russia, IWD now designates a space for solidarity on a range of local and international levels.
While the fight is far from over, women have a lot of thanks to give. Just in the U.S. we have Sojourner Truth begging the question, "Ain't I a Woman," we have Susan B. Anthony and all of the suffragettes, and we have Tarana Burke founding the #MeToo movement.
Across the world, we have the unnamed women that taught Ghandi peaceful protest, to Malala's fight for education, to countless campaigns to end violence against women and to demand equality.
The list of women leaders goes on. It goes on throughout history and throughout the world. And Harpswell is at the forefront of the fight to keep the list growing.
"The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights," - Gloria Steinem
