Inner Revolutionary Radio

Holidays associated with women usually portray our sweet side: Mother’s and Valentine’s Day are about love and roses. But there’s another side to women, a side of steel and struggle and that’s the real origin of International Women’s Day. In 1907 women workers in New York organized demonstrations demanding better pay, shorter working hours and the right to join a union. In 1909 garment workers in New York went on strike for 13 weeks in what was called “The Rising of the 20,000.” These struggles inspired socialist Clara Zetkin to propose International Working Women’s Day to honor working-class women’s struggles and to draw connections between the fight for workers’ power and the struggle against women’s oppression. Are we there? Not hardly! Women are still fighting inequality and abuse around the world. Most of us know nothing about this day, so let’s honor our foremothers. But let’s also talk about the condition of women today and our continuing struggles all over the world! Call in!