2009 IWD Declaration: Irrepressible Change

HISTORY: So much has happened in the world since the very first celebration of International Women’s Day in 1911. “The previous year, 1910, the Socialist International meeting in Copenhagen, established a Women's Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women's rights and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women. The proposal was greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, which included the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance. As a result of the decision taken at Copenhagen the previous year, International Women's Day was marked for the first time (19 March) in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, where more than one million women and men attended rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded the right to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job. As part of the peace movement brewing on the eve of World War I, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March 1914, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with their sisters.” REFLECTION: Although we are ninety-eight years past these historic events, we are still very much writing our history. Our reflections upon history are starkly clear, our understanding of ourselves are with eyes that now see, and our visions of our futures are woman-kind embracing crossing nation-less borders with a single unified belief in irrepressible change for all. We can never forget that the literacy rate for women is still lower than men’s in every region of the world, that the infant mortality rates, malnutrition, and health issues still affect women all over the world more than men. But we can and will change all. Many of us helped make history as we rallied behind Hillary and then Sarah. More history was made when a new family moved into the White House headed by our new First Lady, Michelle. Each event on its own, a seemingly impossible dream, but woven into the fabric of history with a swiftness that amazed all. These events were born from the collective journeys of determined women marked by their endless footsteps of fear and hope, sorrow and joy, despair and elation, defeat and victory that echoed from the path of irrepressible change. What changes will we see between now and the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day in 2011? Particularly, change in the progress of women and improvement in the lives of women? What accomplishments will we list? What hopes do we envision? VISION: We can believe as Mahatma Gandhi advised: “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” Today, the women and men gathered for this IWD Celebration can set our collective goal to strive to help each other, to volunteer in our community, to become servant leaders, to be a mentor to a child or young woman, to take care of ourselves, and to be a source of strength, joy, inspiration, steadfastness and good humor. What better change could we ask for as we approach the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day? Let irrepressible change ring!         IWD Declaration: Given on the occaision of the International Women's Day Celebration Fort Wayne, Indiana March 5, 2009.  See attachments below for copies of the IWD Declaration that you may download  including pictures.