Today women celebrate this day. I wanted to understand it better, so I googled the internet and got this
International Women’s Day, also known as IWD for short, grew out of the labour movement to become a recognised annual event by the United Nations (UN). The seeds of it were planted in 1908, when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter working hours, better pay, and the right to vote.
I come from Africa, and growing up, we did not have any celebrations for women. Lemme talk about my tribe and my culture, women were to be seen and not heard, the best we did was to be housewives. Having lived in the UK now for over 10 years, I have learned the cultural norms of people in the community. My thoughts about IWD are that women should be celebrated every day, all the women who have been in my life and starting with my mother(may her soul rest in peace), continue to show the power within them, despite the challenges- especially women seeking sanctuary in foreign countries like the UK. They are resilient, have patience, and always hope tomorrow is going to be a better day. It is this hope that keeps us positive. Not to say we do not have negative thoughts, of course, we do, we are human with feelings. Negative thoughts become toxic in the end, I do not want to dwell on this, instead, I fake it till I make it. That’s the life I am living now and it’s working, so far so good.
The theme this year is EMBRACE EQUITY
To all the women out there, let us show love, compassion, and togetherness. Woman, I feel your pain, I celebrate your happiness, and I support and help in your struggles taking them as my own. I feel a sense of belonging, I embrace equity.