Students on campus during the lunch hour at UCLA were pleasantly surprised when strangers strolled up and handed them a daisy affixed to a tastefully-decorated card with a quote from a celebrated female.
The calling card featured a caption written in a pretty scroll.
"Daisy Day: Phenomenal Women"
One card was graced with a quote from politician Shirley Chisholm which read:
"The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, 'It's a girl'."
The card I was handed featured an insightful thought by renowned singer Ella Fitzgerald which was positive and upbeat in nature.
"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong."
At the web site for "International Women's Day", the organizers note that IWD is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.
In 1869, British MP John Stuart Mill was the first person in Parliament to call for women's right to vote.
On September 19th (1895) New Zealand became the first country in the world to give women the right to vote.
Unfortuately, women in other countries did not enjoy the same kind of equality.
A woman named Clara Zetkin (a leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) tabled the idea first at an International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen in 1910.
On that auspicious occasion, Ms. Zetkin proposed that every year in every country there should be a celebration on the same day - a Women's Day - where they could press for their demands.
The conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, representing unions, socialist parties, working women's clubs, and including the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's suggestion with unanimous approval; consequently, the idea for International Woman's Day was born.
The first International Women's Day was launched the following year by Clara Zetkin on March 19th
On that date, in the year of the 1848 revolution, the Prussian king first recognized the strength of the armed people.
To avoid an uprising - and a fall from power - he made a myriad of promises to his subjects.
For starters, he agreed to give women a voice by allowing them to vote.
Success of the first International Women's Day in 1911 exceeded all expectations, according to press clippings of the day.
During International Women's Year in 1975, IWD was given official recognition by the United Nations.
Today, International Women's Day is marked by a national holiday in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
As I go about my chores today, and the subtle scent of the daisy (resting snugly in my lapel) tickles my nostrils, I'll be inclined to reflect on the events that have led to this glorious day.
You've come a long way, baby!
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