International Women’s Day: Accelerate Action

International Women's Day (IWD), observed annually on March 8, celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women worldwide while advocating for gender equality. Beginning in 1909 and eventually garnering international attention in 1975, IWD celebrates a different campaign theme each year. Accelerate Action is the campaign for 2025, which calls for urgency in addressing the systemic barriers that women face around the globe.

At the current rate of progress, we will not reach full gender equality until 2158, according to the World Economic Forum. You can help accelerate that progress by going to events that support and celebrate women, donating to women-centered or led organizations, or even just expanding your knowledge about notable women and their achievements.

Notable women from Minnesota

• Lena O. Smith (1885-1966): A prominent civil rights lawyer and activist, Lena O. Smith was the first African American woman licensed to practice law in Minnesota and fought for civil rights in the Twin Cities.
• Nellie Stone Johnson (1905-2002): A fearless labor organizer and civil rights activist, Nellie Stone Johnson was the first Black elected official in Minneapolis when she won a seat on the library board and also helped found the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party.
• Ann Bancroft (b. 1955): One of the world’s leading arctic explorers, Ann Bancroft was the first woman to cross the ice by dogsled to the North pole, then later led an all-women team to the South Pole.

University of Minnesota IWD Events

• Predatory Data: Feminist Resistance to Eugenics in Big Tech
• Join Dr. Anita Say Chan on March 6, 2025, 5-7 p.m. at the Humphrey Forum (105) as she talks about her new book, Predatory Data: Eugenics in Big Tech and Our Fight for an Independent Future.
• The Women’s Center’s Events and Programs
• The Women’s Center offers signature programs, such as Celebrating Changemakers, and ongoing initiatives, like Feminist Fridays and Our Voices, which centers the voices of indigenous women and women of color students.

International Women’s Day & Intersectionality

Tomorrow, March 8, is International Women’s Day (IWD), a day to recognize and celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women around the world. It’s about accelerating equality and highlighting the work that still needs to be done. This year’s theme focuses on “Inspiring Inclusion,” or in other words, it emphasizes intersectionality when recognizing women’s contributions and issues, including those from marginalized communities.

According to American Civil Rights Advocate, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw who coined the term in 1989, “intersectionality is the study of overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination, or discrimination.” Our different social identities all intersect and engage with power structures. So when discussing feminist issues, such as pay inequality or access to equitable medical care, the framework of intersectionality is crucial because not all inequality is equal. When looking at the pay gap, for example, Black and Hispanic women earn even less than white women. Race is just one of the many examples. Gender, class, ability, sexuality, religion, immigrant status—among others—all play a vital role in the fight for women’s equality.

If you’re interested in learning more about International Women’s Day and its theme of “Inspire Inclusion,” check out the talks featured in the 2024 UMN International Women's Day Event Series:

• Development-Induced Displacement and Women and Children's Well-Being: Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon
• BIRCWH Visiting Scholar Seminar: Breast Cancer Disparities in Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals
• IWD 2024 | Empowering Women, Transforming Lives: A Global Celebration of Safe Motherhood
• The Rights of Nature vs. Human Rights?