International Women’s Day 2019

March 8, 2019 marks the 108th anniversary of International Women’s Day (IWD). Per the official IWD site:

The first International Women’s Day occurred in 1911, supported by over one million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific.

The future is exciting. Let’s build a gender-balanced world.

Everyone has a part to play – all the time, everywhere.

From grassroots activism to worldwide action, we are entering an exciting period of history where the world expects balance. We notice its absence and celebrate its presence.

Balance drives a better working world. Let’s all help create a #BalanceforBetter.

I’d like to take this opportunity to pay homage to the most influential woman I know, a civic advocacy leader, affordable housing champion, unrivaled proponent of older women’s rights through the Older Women’s Network, and (duh!) best mother in the world: my mom.

She was also the reason I had my first library as a young punk, and taught me that reading was not just cool; it was necessary, like food and water. For that, and so many other reasons, I hope that a day like IWD can inspire us all to push for greater changes in gender equality rights, and to reach out to the women in our lives who have impacted us in such meaningful, positive, and long-lasting ways.