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While March is celebrated as Women’s History Month in the United States since 2016, March 8 is a special day in this most special month. It is celebrated globally as International Women’s Day (IWD). Originally organized by the Socialist Party of America, the celebrations first took place in February 1909 and were called International Working Women’s Day. What began as a suggestion in 1910 following an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, grew into an international celebration by 1911.
Today, IWD growing in popularity. Buoyed by women’s rights activism globally and the #MeToo movement, IWD is a national holiday in 27 countries around the world, ranging from Afghanistan to Zambia. Has seen a recent resurgence since the #MeToo movement. According to the UN, IDW has been one of the most hashtagged events for the past 5 years.
Every year the celebrations embrace a special theme reflecting the urgency of the moment. This year’s theme, #EachForEqual, #GenerationEquality (United Nations) reminds us that we are all, individually and collectively responsible for our own thoughts and actions towards creating a gender-equal world. In Jamaica, the commemoration has taken on a more specific theme, addressing gender-based violence, in light of the sharpness of this issue there. In continuing our annual recognition of International Women’s Day, Big Drum Nation features the perspectives of important voices, each uniquely positioned, working to create a better, more equal world. Former leader of the National Women’s Organization during the Grenada Revolution, Valerie Gordan, reflects on the strides women continue to make in spite of objective and subjective obstacles, and how further gains can be achieved. Brooklyn-based writer, poet, and educator Keisha-Gaye Anderson addresses the importance of maximizing individual uniqueness to bridge the gender equality gap. And, IT specialist and long-term Caribbean activist on women’s issues, Sandra Coppin Mbodj, focuses on the need for wider structural interventions to affect the changes necessary for women’s equality.
Happy International Women’s Day 2020!
#EachForEqual, #GenerationEquality