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How To Honor Women Around You on International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day BELatina Latinx
Photo courtesy of BELatina.

International Women’s Day is observed on March 8th and is a worldwide opportunity to celebrate, honor, praise, and lift up women around the globe. That means honoring women within your own home and supporting international organizations led by women who are getting sh*t done. 

International Women’s Day is the excuse none of us needed to shout from our rooftops that women make this world go ’round. It’s time to show respect for a community of mujeres working harder than ever to fight for gender equality and bring about positive change for women in this world. 

While International Women’s Day has been observed since the early 1900s, it’s constantly evolving to meet the needs of women who are demanding change, recognition, and equality in today’s world. What began as a single march of 15,000 women in New York City transformed into an official holiday celebrated in countries in every corner of the world, from Afghanistan to Zambia.

International Women’s Day is about coming together. While our individual actions in our own homes and our communities are essential, when we join collectively to bring about change, we can break the bias around the world and create a better future for women globally. 

The key is to act locally but think globally — to get involved in your own backyard and understand the larger scope of your support. It’s a day to celebrate what women have achieved so far, raise awareness for women’s equality, fundraise for female-owned businesses, support female-focused charities, and to lift women up. IWD is about women supporting women and being a part of the attitudinal shift that will continue the momentum of female empowerment and leadership in this world.

There are many ways to celebrate and honor women around you on IWD. It can be as simple as a small compliment to a stranger or as grand as a generous donation to a women’s organization. No action is insignificant, and no move is too bold. 

Speak out. Get involved. Celebrate. Give back. Be heard. And never forget to honor influential women in your life. Here are ways to get started celebrating International Women’s Day this year.

Attend a Local Event (or Host Your Own)

If you want to support IWD, there are tons of events in every community, large and small, to choose from. 

From festivals to runs, performances, symposiums, virtual gatherings, and everything in between, if you want to be present and active at an International Women’s Day event, start your search by seeing what’s happening in your neighborhood. 

Don’t see enough action or feel like there’s an opportunity to have a different event supporting women? Host your own gathering. Invite women who empower you and get involved. The point is to mobilize, be seen and heard, and surround yourself with other ambitious, inspiring women. 

Give a Woman a Compliment

Kind words go a long way. Give a woman around you a compliment. It could be your mother, sister, daughter, best friend, or a total stranger. It could be the woman you walk past every day on the way to work or your child’s teacher. It doesn’t matter who, just find a woman and say something nice to her. Be the reason another woman smiles and feels more confident and empowered today.

Shop at a Female-Owned Business 

Support women around you who own and operate businesses. There are many female-owned companies worldwide, and they need our support and our dollars. Shop at those stores, order products from those brands, and equally important, share their stories and honor their hard work. Eat at a women-owned restaurant or an establishment with a female chef. 

Gather your favorite girls and have an IWD pow-wow at a women-run cafe. Don’t forget to give them a social media shout-out and praise the company they have created. 

Support a Cause or Charity Focused on Women’s Rights 

There are many ways to support a charitable cause — you can give your time, you can donate goods, you can offer your vocal support, and you can give your dollars. Search for a female-focused charity or a cause supporting women’s rights and get involved.

Educate Yourself and Your Daughters

Learn about the history of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, which is the entire month of March. Get educated about how women’s rights have evolved over the years and about where women’s rights stand today in countries around the world. Inform yourself and, perhaps more importantly, inform your daughters. 

This is an incredible opportunity to learn together and bond with the women and girls in your life as you broaden your knowledge about inspiring women. Think of March 8th as your day to really communicate with the next generation of feminists, activists, and female leaders, and it all starts with information.

Read a Book by a Female Author

There’s never been a better time or better excuse to read a work of literary magic from an empowering and brilliant female author. 

From Maya Angelou to Jodi Picoult to Malala Yousafzai, there are many inspiring female authors. Some share their personal stories of strength and overcoming bias, some escapist works of fiction, some self-help books. 

Choose a meaningful book that will lift you up, and share it with women in your life. You could even start a book club to celebrate International Women’s Day. Gather women of all ages and choose a female author’s (age-appropriate) work of literature. Read together, talk about the book’s meaning and how it has changed your perspective. 

If you happen to feel inspired yourself after reading such inspiring work, then do some writing of your own. The power of the written word cannot be underestimated, especially where gender equality and female strength are concerned.

Get Vocal and Share How Women Have Inspired You

Above all, use your voice. Make signs. Attend events and speak up. Talk with other women. Share stories and promote things and people who inspire you. Use the hashtag. Be active online. Sure, there is a time to take a social media break, and then there is a time to get loud and make a statement online. IWD is all about speaking up about the women who inspire you. Use your voice and never underestimate the power we all have just by speaking up for our rights.

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