Raise a clenched fist to International Women's Day

Not for me to say what International Women's Day should be or what it should celebrate. I only say what it used to be, what it started out as, in the melting pot of European and American red revolutionary movements of the early 20th century.

If you want the details, you can use Wikipedia and other web resources as easily as I can. But why bother? You might not care about the history of international women's day. You may be happy to celebrate it in whatever modern form you find appealing. You may not celebrate it at all, perhaps seeing it as yet another day in a celebrations calendar that has a special day for just about everything. Or you might just find history boring.

This article makes no comparison between IWD and dragons, and will not be entered into the "The Dragon Beside Me" challenge - the daftest thing so far launched by Vocal.

As a subject, history can seem a little boring at times. Dates, events, world leaders, wars, statutes and laws. What does it matter anyway? More importantly, history can sometimes be an uncomfortable place to be. Consider the Civil War era, for instance, and try discussing that without having to stumble over the issue of slavery, its abolition and aftermath. Look at pretty much any era in British History and you will find the subject is inextricably linked to the rise and fall of the dreaded British Empire, when Englishmen (and sometimes Scots, Irish and Welsh) travelled the globe stealing land, natural resources and killing, or enslaving, anyone who got in the way.

When it comes to the history of International Women's Day, the picture is even more uncomfortable than the history of modern slavery. Not that IWD was at any time an enslaver of people, expropriator of their land nor a ruler of the waves. No, not that. The origins of IWD were in the workers' rebellions and revolutions of early 20th Century Europe and America. The founders and forerunners of IWD were all mostly communists, socialists and assorted revolutionaries. This is perhaps why the image of IWD has been sanitized, modernized, and all of the angry stuff replaced by something a whole lot fluffier.

The earliest version reported was a "Women's Day" organized by the Socialist Party of America in New York City on February 28, 1909. This inspired German delegates at the 1910 International Socialist Women's Conference to propose "a special Women's Day" be organized annually, albeit with no set date; the following year saw the first demonstrations and commemorations of International Women's Day across Europe. After the Russian Revolution in 1917, IWD was made a national holiday on March 8; it was subsequently celebrated on that date by the socialist movement and communist countries. The holiday was associated with far-left movements and governments until its adoption by the global feminist movement in the late 1960s. IWD became a mainstream global holiday following its promotion by the United Nations in 1977 (Wikipedia, emphasis added by author).

As the Wikipedia quote above indicates, the color of IWD, before 1977, was undeniably blood red. The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2024 is "Inspire Inclusion." These days, the exhortation from the official IWD website is not about fighting for rights, is not about being militant, making demands of government and employers, it is about smiley people getting together and talking about inclusion. These days, if you say anything in support of IWD or its objectives, nobody is going to call you a communist.

The image above, from the official IWD website, shows five people making a heart symbol with their hands. Let's all love each other, the image suggests. Oddly (one would think) the image has three men and only two women. I can't think why. Likewise I am not sure why all three men have beards. Are the five people photographed meant to represent inclusion? It is not clear. One thing is clear, and that is that there is no obvious rebellion. No demand for equal rights. No rallying cry. Even the WWII propaganda image of a woman war production worker flexing her bicep suggests a stronger feminist interpretation of IWD. Then again, I did say that it is not for me to say what International Women's Day should be or what it should celebrate.

I only know that when I think of International Women's Day I think of the heroes of the early days of the 20th century, the days of fighting for women's rights. The days when women supporters of a woman's right to vote (or any other right) were imprisoned, tortured and murdered. I think of the women who suffered and died championing women's rights, along with any men who supported them. Women who are well known to history and those who's names are long forgotten.

You can be sure that, in celebrating International Women's Day, you will not see me posing with a group of smiley, happy people, showing a hand-heart symbol, and generally being nice. No, I shall be raising a fist in salute to those women of the past and present who by choice or because they have none, fight for their and other women's rights.

Raise a clenched fist salute to International Women's Day!