PSA: Today is International Women's Day! The song "Independent Women" by Destiny's Child is playing in my head, which seems like an appropriate anthem to celebrate all the women who paved the way to fight for equality and continue to shatter glass ceilings. Just like Black History Month, we always celebrate and appreciate the women in our lives and continue to advocate for their rights within the political, cultural, and social spheres daily rather than one day a year. In addition, we honor the accomplishments and how far women have come in this fight, but first, a brief history of this day.
In 1869, the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was founded by Susan B. Anthony, a political activist and advocate of women's rights and Elizabeth Cady Stanton to continue the fight for women's rights. In 1911, Clara Zetkin, a German suffragist and leader in the Women's Office, proposed a Women's Day celebration; International Women's Day was celebrated annually ever since. Fast forward to 1965, the Women's Liberation Movement was active in the fight for politics, work, the family, and sexuality and ALL women were granted the right to vote! In the early 2000s, the age of the internet was on the rise as was the message of feminism and the push for gender equality.
An important woman we'd like to recognize today is Romana Kryzanowska, one of the Pilates elders, original instructors and close student of Joseph Pilates who took over as director of his studio shortly after he passed away. She was known as one of the most highly regarded keepers of the classical Pilates tradition and dedicated her entire life to teaching Pilates instructors all over the world. Her daughter also trained with Joseph Pilates and taught with her mother. Now, Romana's granddaughter owns Romana's Pilates with affiliates teaching classical Pilates around the world; what a wonderful family tradition carried on by women.
Ways to observe and celebrate International Women's Day:
Find and participate in a Women's Day event in your city that appeals to you.
Send a bouquet, thank you card, or a small gift to your mother, sister, coworker or another woman you admire.
Learn about a woman you admire. Do some digging and learn about their life and their story.
Gloria Steinem says it best, "The story of women's struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights." We concur! Being a woman is a gift, and if you are a woman, we are celebrating you.
Comments