The History of International Women’s Day

The first National Woman’s Day was celebrated on February 28th, 1909. However, like most of humankind’s greatest movements, history is much more complex than just our successes.

Did you know that women were responsible for the labor movement in the United States, and were the driving force behind the end of American child labor?

*Image from 2024 Protests in United States*

In June of 1908, women’s oppression in the United States and England reached a head, and fifteen thousand women marched in New York City for – of all things – labor rights: shorter working days, better pay, voting rights, and the end to child labor in America. Many of these women were immigrants from Europe, most were mothers, and all were working women enraged by lack of freedom, inaccessibility to basic needs and civic support systems, and taxation without representation. This is where America’s historic slogan Bread and Roses was coined, a phrase which symbolized economic security (basic foodstuffs like bread) and better living standards (roses).

*Helen Todd, a factory inspector, discusses how the right to vote would gain for working women and society "bread and roses"–referring to greater income, and life's roses.*

The protests from that moment on became so disruptive that the declaration for an official federal Working Woman’s Holiday was given only a year later, in 1909.

Women can, and will, turn literally anything

into a movement for solidarity.

A year later, in 1910, the second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen by a lady named Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Office in Germany. There, Zetkin proposed that every country of the world should celebrate a yearly Women’s Day; and the conference of over 17 countries, representatives of unions, socialist parties, working women’s clubs, and women of parliament – all women – voted unanimously to approve International Women’s Day, and history was again made the following year, 1911. On the 19th of March, over a million men and women attended rallies campaigning for women’s rights over the world through the Bread and Roses campaign.

Despite disputes, Russian women joined global ranks on the eve of World War I, on the last Saturday in February. Due to the discrepancies between global calendars, discussions led to the new date for International Women’s Day: March 8th, which translated more easily into varied calendars. March 8th remains International Women’s Day today.

Also in 1914, women across Europe held rallies to campaign to end the war quickly in the name of women’s solidarity. This was the time of the historic arrest of Sylvia Pankhurst, who was arrested on her way to speak in London’s Trafalgar Square.

In response to the horrific deaths of over two million Russian soldiers in World War I, Russian women began a strike Bread and Peace in February of 1917, further intensifying women’s international campaign for women’s solidarity. Four days later, the Czar Nicholas II was forced to abdicate and allow Russian women the right to vote.

*Russian Poster for the Peace, Land, and Bread Movement*

In 1977, the December General Assembly adopted a declaration proclaiming that the United Nations would celebrate a day of Women’s Right and International Peace. Since, the United Nations has adopted annual themes each year, including “Celebrating the Past, Planning for the Future” – which has recently been adopted as a slogan for POC rights in the United States – “Women at the Peace Table”, and “World Free of Violence Against Women”.

Since 2000, the global movement toward women’s rights and solidarity has collaborated thousands of women’s groups, charities, and organizations with the intent to accelerate activity toward gender parity and celebrating women. 2011 saw the 100 centenary of International Women’s Day, and the United States’ President Obama proclaimed all of March to be “Women’s History Month”, calling for American attention toward “the extraordinary accomplishments of women” in shaping American history and freedoms.

InternationalWomen’sDay.com tells us that “A global web of rich and diverse local activity connects women from all around the world, ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatrical performances, fashion parades and more.”

They are only delaying the inevitable.

In January of 2025, Donnie T reinstated the Global Gag Rule, which denies U.S. aid or any global organization which is in any way involved in reproductive health for women, regardless of local law. Expansions of this are predicted to roll back access to contraceptives and maternal health aids. Did you know that USAID, which ol’ Donnie-boy is campaigning to end, is the second largest supplier of contraceptives for global developing countries?

It is likely that the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which in American history has received total bipartisan support, will be targeted next.

The Hyde Amendment has also been reinstated, which bans the use of public funds for reproductive health services. The Geneva Consensus Declaration, with which the United States has reintegrated, aims to weaken the recognition of sexual crimes, and reproductive rights as human rights – which, as you may guess, weakens definitions of ‘human’ in United States law.

The UN Human Rights Council, which addresses human rights crises, recommends better implementation for human rights, adopts resolutions to human rights violations, and investigates human rights violations, among many other works. The United States isn’t part of the UN Human Rights Council anymore.

Additionally, in a shocking move, the Tee-Tee administration has indicated that it would like to end USAID, of all things.

The fearful will always reject growth.

USAID provides global aid to the world, and homegrown aid to our farmers, workers, laborers, and women. The end of USAID would cause widesweeping – and frankly incomprehensible – consequences for the world, including (but not limited to): closure of health facilities impacting 1.7 million people in Pakistan who suffer from extreme illnesses like TB and AIDS; 1.4+ million Ugandan citizens losing access to treatments; suspension of TB and malaria control programs in Nigeria; loss of access for 35 thousand Syrian people; shutdown of field hospitals in Thailand resulting in thousands of refugees losing medical care and maternal support; suspension of emergency aid to move than 2.8 million Venezuelan refugees; millions of Ethiopian citizens losing access to food sources during a hunger crisis; driving Ukraine deeper into humanitarian crisis in the middle of war with Russia.

The cessation of USAID would also significantly disrupt life in the United States for all of us. USAID shutdown stops support of cash transfers from banks, halts financing for farmers who produce food for the general population, and ends lifesaving health services and reproductive health services. The end of USAID would also suspend key tools for policymaking, such as study required for data production and support in the U.S.

USAID is also the main support for the DHS program (Demographic and Health Surveys), which has collected high quality data regarding health, nutrition, and demographic trends across the United States and more than 90 other countries since 1984.

The attacks on USAID will also have impacts on the U.S. Department of Education, another established and accredited American program. The President Musk administration aims to combine the Education Department with the Labor Department, which deeply undermines the Education Department’s control over itself. Should the Education Department suffer, then students in all American schools will suffer loss of funding for their school clubs, classes, and extracurriculars; cessation of education research and data-gathering; and damages to childrens’ and students’ civil rights.

An ideology only screams like this when it’s dying.

With the progression of the evil within Project 2025 in the United States, it’s easy to fall into a state of exhaustion or despair – but simply don’t.

Like the people who argue your rights like it’s a fun little game, our inactivity is their goal.

History tells us that when women rise, the world changes for the better.

Of course, the “2025 administration”, as I’m sure history books will call it, hasn’t been able to abolish USAID yet, although they’ve worked to weaken it. The mere suggestion of destroying USAID has created such incredible global and bipartisan backlash that even a half-blind elderly man with a bad toupee has to stop and shiver. USAID unions are suing to support their labor rights, the ACLU is on fire with communications and lawsuits to defend it, and federal judges have been forced to pause one element of the abolishment after another.

Democracy acts on the people, for the people. To learn more about USAID, check it out while it’s still on the federal datebase. To learn how you can help, connect with the ACLU.

We’re nowhere near done. Record numbers of women – especially WOC – ran for congress in 2020, and record-breaking numbers of women have held seats since 2021. 2021 also saw a record of over 2000 women as state legislators over the U.S.

The Democratic Women’s Caucus has introduced the Global HER Act (Health, Empowerment, and Rights) (H.R. 556), which would permanently repeal the Global Gag Rule. Passing the language in the Global HER Act makes strides toward keeping the words ‘woman’ and ‘human’ in the same sentences in American politics. Urge your senators and representatives to become sponsors by calling their offices to voice your support – which is much more effective – or by using Population Connection’s online form.

"As we come marching, marching, in the beauty of the day, A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill-lofts gray."

—first lines of “Bread and Roses”.

In Conclusion

International Women’s Day is the proof of a labor rights movement, a child’s rights movement, a war-ending movement, an equality movement, a solidarity movement, and a movement toward greater humanity. Naturally, people fearful of their places in the world, and people who want to make money from war, are doing everything they can to turn back the clock.

Check out the charities below and offer a fiver to keep global human rights in your sights:

The Satanic Temple once again rises to the cream of the crop. The Satanic Temple’s clinics are the world’s first religious abortion and reproductive rights clinics, and offer the lowest-cost services in their surrounding areas. If you or someone you know is in need of help or information, find it here.

Or, buy yourself some new LGBTQ merch.

The ACLU remains champion of the democratic people. Donate here to support voting rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ protections, and free speech across the U.S.

Women For Women International is a global effort to support women survivors of war, and women affected by similar adversities who have been left marginalized or unsupported. WFWI has created a 2025 Crisis Watchlist which outlines upcoming humanitarian emergencies which need special help.

Consider donating as a Stand With Her Supporter, an initiative which creates a one-of-a-kind connection between you and the woman your money supports; or, become a Classroom Supporter to fund women’s education across the globe, and keep children in school.

Thanks for Reading.

Remember:

The egg chooses.

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