International Women’s Day

by Catherine Holland and Jessica Parsons

With roots dating back over 100 years, the legacy of International Women's Day(IWD) has continued on a global level with celebrations ranging from small, impromptu gatherings and marches to large-scale events—all in the name of equality for women.

It began in 1908 with 15,000 women taking to the streets of New York, marching in the name of shorter work hours, better pay and voting rights. By 1911, IWD was observed in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Over one million women and men attended IWD rallies that year, campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote and hold public office and to end discrimination. Today, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom join the list of supporters.

Strong, vocal women in history changed the course of our future, and today we celebrate their victories with International Women’s Day. Once a day for protest, it’s now a time to remember our legacy and celebrate our accomplishments. In Phoenix, each year the celebration includes a fund raising event where money is raised through business donations to provide scholarships for women re-entering education.

The Phoenix Women's Commission and the International Women's Day Steering Committee are determined to help women like Bickle realize their educational dreams. Since 1990, the organization has raised over $800,000 to provide scholarships to more than 700 local women.

Eleven colleges including Arizona State University, Phoenix College, DeVry and Grand Canyon University collectively give 80 to 100 scholarships each year to grateful and truly worthy women. Georganne Bickle is one of those women.

Abused by a daycare provider when she was five years old, raped at the age of 14 by a 21-year old stranger and brutally attacked while serving in the U.S. military, Georganne Bickle’s story is not an easy one to hear. But despite the bleak chapters, her story includes hope, determination and success. In part, Bickle attributes the success she has found to International Women’s Day (IWD) and a scholarship program hosted by the City of Phoenix since 1990.

Bickle turned to her community for help, and her community responded. “You can be the beautiful woman God created you to be with the help of other women,” she says. “You can’t do it alone.”
In 2008, Bickle received a scholarship through the IWD program, which enabled her to go back to school and complete her associate’s degree in English at Phoenix College.

At the time, she was desperate to finish her studies. She was struggling to cope with her past experiences while acting as sole supporter of a household of four women. Bickle couldn’t afford textbooks for school, let alone the cost of the classes. It’s a story members of the Phoenix Women’s Commission and the IWD’s Steering Committee have become all too familiar with.
Bickle feels fortunate to have received a scholarship. "It means everything," she says. "It’s been an incredible boost to help me achieve my goals."

In January, Bickle will take the next step and begin coursework for a much sought-after bachelor's degree. She plans to graduate in two years. “You have to have the support of other women who have been through the same things you have been through,” says Bickle, “and what I want to do someday is donate money to them to help provide more scholarships."

International Women's Day is about real women making a real difference. Andrea Moreno, customer service trainer for Salt River Project and chairwoman for the Phoenix Women’s Commission, has been involved with the organization for three years. She believes people should care about IWD for a very simple reason: "We consider ourselves an intelligent society. Yet we continue to treat women as secondary citizens," she explains. "Violence and discrimination, to name a few, continue to plague women and girls around the world."

Bickle's story and thousands of other untold stories make another strong point—whether we live in Phoenix or halfway around the world, International Women's Day unites us all by the very fact that we are women, and that we are and forever will be resilient.

"We women have a common global voice to assess the progress of our struggle for gender equality and development and to continue advocating on behalf of women here and around the world," says Moreno. Although she acknowledges that women have garnered greater access to healthcare and education, and that many countries have adopted legislation to support equality and human rights within the political framework, she feels there is still much to be accomplished. “In spite of everything, we are even now not able to say that we have the same equality as men," Moreno says.

That is the goal of International Women's Day—for women next door and around the world to support, encourage and celebrate one another until women have that level of equality. As women, we press on to achieve that goal. The campaign slogan of President-Elect Barack Obama seems quite fitting in this context: “Yes, We Can!”

Catherine Holland is a freelance writer and internet producer for azfamily.com. Jessica Parsons is Editor of Phoenix Woman.

International Women’s Day 2009
Women of Courage: Winning the Game
Where: Phoenix Convention Center
When: March 4, 2009
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Tickets: $75
Student/Senior Rate: $45
For more information on sponsorship opportunities and ticket purchases, call 692.261.8242
City of Phoenix Equal Opportunity Department

Valley Sponsors Include:
City of Phoenix
Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Woman magazine
KTVK-3TV News Channel 3
SRP
Prensa Hispana