Women of today have come a long way from the inequalities they have faced in the past, we can say with certainty that this long-standing battle for women’s rights bore fruition as women are now empowered and have been given more opportunities than in the past. Every historical event that has changed the lives of women deserves to be recognized as today would have been completely different without the pursuits of those people, but how did women come to where we are now?

The earliest known celebration was held on February 29, 1909, in New York. At the time, it was known as “National Woman’s Day” and was organized by the Socialist Party of America. Later on, more countries started to celebrate “Woman’s Day” with initial dates on days from late February or early March. These celebrations were dedicated to raising awareness towards the woman’s rights movements and were in connection with the right to vote and hold public office. Not only that but the celebration of Woman’s Day has inaugurated a revolution in Russia and has proved to be effective since several days later their voices were heard as they were granted the right to vote. These actions have sparked a new era for women as this day was adopted by the United Nations and officially began celebrating it in 1975. With this, more people have joined in the cause to raise awareness and this drastically helped the women’s rights movement. The single droplet of water that once only encompassed a few people has finally grown to a large wave. Like a bird, this day has finally grown the wings to expand globally, making way for a newfound perspective towards the struggles of women and slowly shaping the world as more actions were being taken, and this shall continue for generations to come.

This March 8, we celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and recognize all the efforts of women around the world. We dedicate this day to be International Women’s Day and this year’s theme is “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow.” With this global celebration, we bear witness to the products of decades of protests and revolutions, all for a society where women are on equal footing with men. The goal to make the world more diverse, equitable, and inclusive for everyone is still in progress but with the collective efforts of everyone, one day we shall rejoice as we celebrate this day. Something that was once thought to be impossible has been achieved, for dreams don’t work unless you do. Because just like the words of G.D. Anderson, “Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength."