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Recognizing March 8, 2021 as International Women’s Day to raise awareness of the adverse oppression and inequities that women have experienced and continue to experience globally; and to celebrate the achievements of women around the world and campaign for positive change.
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WHEREAS, International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, political, and cultural achievements of women, and raises awareness of, lobbies for, and fundraises for gender equality; and
WHEREAS, The 2021 theme for International Women’s Day is ‘Choose to Challenge’, which states that from challenge comes change. This year’s theme calls for all people to confront gender bias and inequality and take action for gender equality. Individuals and organizations all over the world are invited to share #ChooseToChallenge images in the lead up to International Women's Day 2021. Each photo will feature an individual raising their hand to show one’s commitment to challenging inequality, calling out bias, questioning stereotypes, and helping forge an inclusive world; and
WHEREAS, The first International Women’s Day began as a result of unrest and critical debate regarding the oppression of women in the United States in 1908. Women marched through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay, and voting rights. In 1910, the second International Conference of Working Women was held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries unanimously approved the idea of an International Women’s Day, which was first celebrated in 1911. 1911 also saw the women's Bread and Roses campaign; and
WHEREAS, International Women's Day was celebrated for the first time by the United Nations in 1975. Then in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions; and
WHEREAS, The internationalwomensday.com platform was launched in 2001 to celebrate and make visible the achievements of women while continuing the call for accelerating gender parity. The website, which provides useful guidance and resources, adopts an annual campaign theme that is globally relevant for groups and organizations. The International Women's Day website also serves as a significant vehicle for charities. In 2020, a hefty six figure sum was fundraised with 100% of donations going to charity; and
WHEREAS, 2011 saw the 100 year centenary of International Women's Day. United States President Barack Obama proclaimed March 2011 to be “Women's History Month”, calling on Americans to mark International Women's Day by reflecting on "the extraordinary accomplishments of women" in shaping the country's history; and
WHEREAS, Since 2015, progress in women’s rights has been marginal. While some regions of the world have experienced increases in gender equality, others have experienced declines; and
WHEREAS, Support for women comes in a critical time as women have experienced adverse impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Black, Indigenous, and women of color disproportionately work in industries experiencing job losses, and many jobs considered essential, such as nurses, home health aides, and child care workers, are dominated by women; and
WHEREAS, Vision 2020, headquartered at Drexel University’s Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership, is a nonpartisan national women’s equality coalition. Vision 2020 is presenting Women 100, the largest celebration in the United States of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. The coalition will host events and programming on March 18th and throughout the year on building a movement towards achieving women’s equality; and
WHEREAS, Women’s Way is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region dedicated to mobilizing and empowering women, as well as uniting organizations, generations, and individuals to inspire change. For over 40 years, Women’s Way has invested over $23 million to women and their families in the Philadelphia region; and
WHEREAS, The Women’s Campaign International, based in Philadelphia, has worked to empower women and girls to advocate, lead, and participate in economic development, political action, and peacemaking in 45 countries; and
WHEREAS, The Womanist Working Collective is a social action and support collective for cis and trans Black womyn, femmes, and gender non-conforming folks. The collective focuses on improving the quality of life of Black womyn and femmes through community organizing, philanthropy, and self-care; and
WHEREAS, My Sister’s Keeper Collective is a nonprofit based in Philadelphia which began as a collective of public school professionals committed to addressing the achievement and discipline gap for girls, specifically by focusing on understanding trauma as it is uniquely experienced by young women of color. The collective seeks to empower young women to identify educational goals, and to support success by identifying resources and collaborating with caregivers, teachers, counselors, and agency professionals to share ideas, strategies and best practices; and
WHEREAS, Woman Organized Against Rape is a sexual assault crisis center based in Philadelphia which works daily in the fight against sexual violence, as well as in protecting women’s rights. The center has been able to provide free services and integrate Latin American and Hispanic feminist value through outreach and prevention, as American feminism has historically not been intercultural; and
WHEREAS, It is important that we continue to highlight the inequities and achievements of women, and amplify the diverse voices of women around the world as we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council does hereby recognize March 8, 2021 as International Women’s Day to raise awareness of the adverse oppression and inequities that women have experienced and continue to experience globally; and to celebrate the achievements of women around the world and campaign for positive change.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Vision 2020, Women’s Way, The Women’s Campaign International, The Womanist Working Collective, My Sister’s Keeper Collective, and Woman Organized Against Rape, further evidencing the sincere admiration and respect of this legislative body.
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