Women's Day is not a box of chocolates, a rose, a carnation or a greeting card that you receive from your male colleagues, but the courage and sacrifice of all those women who are responsible for the fact that you are independent today and can live your freedom.
If it weren't for the textile workers who protested in New York on March 8, 1857 because of poor working conditions and low wages, you probably wouldn't be doing your favorite job today, you wouldn't be getting paid for it. These women were chased away by the police with batons as early as 1857, but two months later they founded a trade union. Protests continued to take place every year on March 8, but were most massive in 1908, when 15,000 women took to the streets of New York to demand shorter working hours, the right to vote and better wages.
Two years later, the first international women's conference was held in Copenhagen, organized by the Socialist International, at which the German revolutionary and feminist Clara Zetkin demanded that the one day a year dedicated to celebrating women's rights. The first women's day was celebrated March 19, 1911, but later this day was moved to March 8, because in 1917 women in the Soviet Union got the right to vote thanks to the extraordinary Aleksandra Kollontai, a colleague and friend of Zetkina.
On International Women's Day we also remember the great tragedy that occurred on March 25, 1911, when the Triangle Shirtwaist factory was destroyed by fire lost his life 123 women and girls and 23 men. The youngest victims were 14-year-old female workers. This accident is considered the fourth worst industrial accident in US history and triggered stricter public safety laws.
Clara Zetkin and Aleksandra Kollontaj are just two of the many brave women who have proven themselves in the fight for our rights.
