Established before women were granted the suffrage needed to influence the very government that continues to anchor them down to this very day, Women’s Day marks our calendars as a celebration of the fire, determination and strength within the hearts of our sisters, mothers and daughters. March 8 has come to signify much more than a mere reminder of sluggish days spent by our predecessors behind pink and green painted kitchen windows, crushed by the weight of societal expectation and restriction. Our women are taking to the streets of Washington, they’re storming Los Angeles’ roadways and replacing New York City taxicabs with picket signs. Activism is at the forefront of not only our nation’s dialogue, but that of the world’s.
As a new administration transitions into the country’s topmost governmental positions in a fiery display of power, anger and relentlessness, women’s rights remain as an ominous uncertainty for women and girls in every state across the map. The ability to choose abortion, access to effective methods of birth control and the institutions that offer other vital health services are all elements of the fight women have been forced to fight that the Republican Party has seemed to forgotten.
But for so many women, the day represents a coming-together for those of all backgrounds and experiences to not only prepare for what needs to be done, but to revel in how far the nation has come from the decades of the past and the dark, frightening realities of perceived inferiority and imposed subordination.
Amidst the chaos, there exists cause to celebrate. The world is commemorating all that the woman stands for and all she has been through. It celebrates all that she is capable of and everything she will continue to do; much like the woman, the day is multifaceted. We are asked to look past screaming differences and clashing points of view to imagine the women at the forefront of this nation beside the men in a call for understanding, respect and equality.
Despite the persistence of misogynistic pessimism and internalized sexism, the country has much to learn from national celebrations such as Women’s Day. Prioritization of a struggling demographic does not in turn mean the degradation of another, and days of focus aid in the understanding of such a progressive, liberating notion.
Moving forward, let us regard March 8 not as a frivolity to be easily dismissed as calls for attention or misguided misandry, but as an emphasis on continuing the fight for women’s rights – all of them.
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