International Women's Day 2016
March 8, 2016 International Women’s Day 21 years ago I learned about the International Day of Women. My daughter was born at 11:50, and the midwife announced to me, it’s a girl! And born on International Women’s Day. Her father looked defeated, as this was our third daughter. On this day, as I celebrate her 21 years of spreading joy and love to all who know her, I reflect on the meaning of this day. Why do we even need a day? The earliest Women’s Day observance was held in 1909, in New York; it was organized by the Socialist Party of America . The International Day of Women, with its beginnings in Europe and Russia, proclaims equal rights for women, including the right to vote, and protection from employment sex discrimination. In 1918, women in Saint Petersburg went on strike for “Bread and Peace" – demanding the end of World War I, an end to Russian food shortages, and the end of czarism. The day was celebrated mostly in communist and socialist countries