In 1909, the Socialist Party of America the first National Women's Day in the US. German socialist Clara Zetkin found this an inspiring initiative. At an international congress, she proposed making it a worldwide women's day. Her proposal was unanimously approved.
There's also a connection to this history in Belgium. In 1893, Clara Zetkin met the Ghent socialist Emilie Claeys at a conference in Zurich. There, Zetkin advocated for a shorter workday for women, but Claeys disagreed. She believed that both men and women had the right to better working conditions and fought for equality.
The first International Women's Day was celebrated in 1911 in the US, Denmark, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Shortly afterward, the Triangle Fire struck New York, a disaster that killed 140 textile workers. This disaster further fueled the fight for better labor rights. The slogan " Bread and Roses!" became a symbol of that fight – and later inspired the name of our magazine, "Bread & Roses .
Even in the 1970s, the feminist action group Dolle Mina adhered to this social, or rather, socialist, vision of feminism. Without party political ties, they continued to fight for radical equality between men and women.
And Emilie Claeys? She's still not forgotten. A small, permanent exhibition about her life and work can be visited
Ons Huis This poster was published between 1970 and 1985 by Dolle Mina Ghent for women's rights. Amsab-ISG Collection
