Woman is God's greatest creation; she is also a giver of life and the ideal companion of man. Women yearning to change a world in which they were seen as mere objects decided to dignify and elevate femininity and to claim the place they deserved in society.
On one hand, what happened in New York was the vortex that started the feminist movement. In 1910, the first step was taken to commemorate March 8, when women from 17 countries gathered in Denmark to find mechanisms that would strengthen and advance the issue of gender equality, as well as seek safe working conditions for women.
First and foremost, it is of utmost importance to remember that all these struggles for women's reclamation bore fruit. From 1977 onwards, the United Nations (UN) recognizes March 8 as International Women's Day, thus delivering justice to the 146 women who lost their lives in that fire, which took their lives but did not silence their voices.
"Today, March 8 is commemorated worldwide. There is no doubt that progress has been made in gender equality, but there is still much to be done. As a society, we must stop gender-based violence."
On March 8, we commemorate the actions of brave women who were not afraid to raise their voices against the injustices they faced, inequalities, and arbitrariness. At the beginning of March 1909, workers from the Cotton Textile Factory in New York City went on strike; 129 women died in a fire caused by the company owners.
Initially, they sought to improve working conditions in terms of safety, increase wages, reduce working hours, and put an end to child labor, which was one of the greatest scourges of that time.
"God bless women." Dr. José Emilio Moreno Academic Vice-Rector, University of Panama
