Celebrating Women from Abroad at BHSEC

Sinziana Stanciu ‘20

March 2019

On March 8th, the world gathered to support women and for what they stand for. In fact, every single year there is an International Women’s Day (IWD), but there is one country that does not necessarily support this holiday despite the diversity that it holds. Although the roots of IWD can be traced back to New York, it is not celebrated throughout the United States. It was actually first celebrated as “National Women’s Day” on February 28th, 1909, established by the Socialist Party of America. They were protesting their working conditions and thought that coming together as women to embrace this issue would draw attention, and they were right. After the gathering in New York proved itself, Socialist International established a Women’s Day.  It then spread to other countries across Europe, including Germany, Russia, and many others, in an effort to promote basic women’s rights beyond those of suffrage and equal working conditions. In Russia, IWD’s initiatives changed to reflect the political issues at hand. Finally, in 1975, the United Nations recognized March 8th as International Women’s Day (UN Women). However, the fighting spirit and original causes of IWD are still recognized abroad. 

To recognize this event celebrating women, BHSEC gathered together in the auditorium on IWD. Organized by Professor Dolan and Ms. Turitz, teachers from our own school gathered to tell their stories of female empowerment. Beginning with Dr. Ilboudo through almost all of the international female faculty at BHSEC, every professor gave a moving story for what it means to be a woman and their experiences. After the international faculty finished speaking, the female professors from the United States gave their stories. By the end of Ms. Gamper’s story about acceptance, almost every person had tears in their eyes. Each and every teacher contributed something significant to the discussion. Professor Guerra even read a poem about her grandmother and through each and every depiction, as a woman, I felt more empowered than ever before. The stories were beyond moving as people from our community came together to ally themselves with women from around the world. Everyone was captivated by their stories and the energy shifted along with them. At the end teachers telling their stories and hearing from a few members of the audience, Professor Dolan requested that students write on a flash card something that they believe would bring out community closer. This was such a positive note to end on, and it truly opened up such a profound discussion to the community as a whole. 

Noticing the impact of IWD is essential to understanding the fact that women must keep fighting. We must collectively unite and push against the limitations that are placed on us. Regardless of origin, as humans, we must embrace who we are and no longer be afraid. Yes, women should be celebrated on IWD, but we should be celebrated every day too. We can’t just acknowledge women a day out of the year and disregard them as lesser every other day. Women’s rights are human rights, and we should be stepping closer to equality every single day.