International Women’s Day 2024 and Claiming Our Power

International Women’s Day (IWD), which is celebrated on March 8 every year, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

With that thought in mind, women need to band together – perhaps this year more so than ever – to make their voices heard, especially in the United States with so much on the line right now.

Last Tuesday was Super Tuesday as I wrote about here, and just two days later, President Biden made his State of the Union address, which was quickly followed by that unbelievable Republican rebuttal by Karen, oops I mean, Katie Britt, the Alabama junior Senator, speaking from – of all places – her “so-called” kitchen at home.

Regardless of your political leanings and beliefs, if you were not disturbed by her antics during that 17 plus minute rebuttal, then there is really something wrong. Even members of her own political party were annoyed, troubled and dismayed but her presentation, that included overly dramatic tones and pauses that, according to different national outlets, “differ from her usual way of speaking.”

Why is that? Did she over-practice? Was she deliberately trying to perform on a national stage like so many “Karens,” who have been caught on film in years past? Or was she just “told” to present the rebuttal in a way that sets the tone for what the Republicans seem to want for women? In other words, to take us back decades, relegating us to the kitchen and not “allowing” us to be equal?

I mean, after all, it is the conservative right, and many in the Republican party, who are working to take away our reproductive rights and our hard-won freedoms from being nothing more than property to our husbands (if we even choose to have a husband, for that matter).

And considering that Britt’s rebuttal came on the eve of International Women’s Day, it was nothing short of unsettling.

International Women’s Day has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific.

But let’s make one thing crystal clear for this year, women need to claim their power, we need to band together and we need to make our voices heard. I hope you all voted last week; I hope you will vote in the fall. Stand together women and let’s make a difference for our current generation and for all the generations to come!

Related: International Women’s Day

You can learn more about International Women’s Day here.