International Women’s Day: A Look Back and Forward

by Michelle Sedaca, Program Associate
South Africa Partners

A staff member of a NonProfit Center tenant organization, Michelle writes this monthly column on life at the center, and the unique culture of a multi-tenant center created specifically for nonprofits.

Photo:Michelle (left) meeting with Jackie Cefola, program coordinator at the NonProfit Center

Not widely known in the United States, International Women’s Day (IWD) -- March 8, 2008 -- marks a day to recognize the struggles and strides of women worldwide. From Brazil to Iraq to the United States, women hold varied events to draw attention to gender inequities that still exist today and the progress paved through hard work.

IWD originated in Denmark in 1911 by Clara Zetkin, leader of the Women’s Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany. A few years earlier in the United States, 15,000 female textile workers marched in New York City to protest unfair labor conditions and rally for higher wages and voting rights. This year, IWD remembers those courageous women who took to the streets through the theme “Shaping Progress.”

Documenting Women’s Struggles Locally

In Boston, women who participated in the early feminist movement of the seventies are commemorating the day with a long-in-planning documentary about the takeover of a Harvard building located at 888 Memorial Drive decades ago. “The history of second wave feminism has been little documented,” said Rochelle Ruthchild, who is involved in producing the documentary. “The documentary is trying to address the gap,” she continued.

Ruthchild defined second wave feminism as a movement that followed the first wave known for championing women’s suffrage, while the second wave addressed the inequities that continued to plague society, such as violence, workplace discrimination, unequal pay and impediment to reproductive rights. For instance, at the time of the takeover in Cambridge, Roe v. Wade was not yet enacted.

The takeover illustrated the struggle between Harvard University, who desired to transform the building into student dorms, and the community, who planned to create affordable housing as well as a women’s center. “It’s one of the few women’s takeovers by women, for women,” Ruthchild emphasized.

Emerging from the nonviolent takeover, the Women’s Center at 46 Pleasant Street opened. The Women’s Center offers counseling, support and information to women.

IWD Impacts Society Today

Ruthchild views the documentary as an important link to IWD 2008 because so many of the issues are still timely. “Affordable housing and childcare, universal health care, unhindered access to abortion … all resonant today and haven’t been addressed,” she described. “[The documentary] makes visible history which has been forgotten. It is important in terms of the history of Boston, Harvard, and feminism in the U.S.” She also shared that the documentary will be utilized as an educational tool in schools and colleges.

The free rough cut will be shown at 7:00 p.m. on March 8 at the Cambridge Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave., Cambridge.

IWD Celebrated in Higher Ed

Simmons University will commemorate IWD with a breakfast to “break bread and [create] an opportunity for women to come together,” according to Diane Hammer, director of the Simmons Institute for Leadership and Change. “We are bringing women together to help gain enlightenment on current issues,” she said.

This year’s theme is “Women’s Economic Self-Sufficiency: Globally & Locally.” The gathering offers a chance for participants to connect both local and international issues of importance to women.

A huge collaborative effort plans the IWD celebration each year, including several organizations like the Boston, Cambridge and Somerville Women’s Commission, the Irish Immigration Center, Our Bodies, Ourselves, and many others. According to planning members, the breakfast strives to educate participants, and subsequently, provide a space for next steps for action.

The breakfast is from 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. at the Linda K. Paresky Conference Center on March 7 and the public is encouraged to attend. For more information, please call 617-521-2480.