Time to roll out the brightly colored quotes and scatter those ‘girl power’ gifs all across socials, because the 8th of March is today!
For those who don’t know, for the last hundred years or so, the 8th of March has been the designated day to celebrate International Women’s Day. But what does it really mean to commemorate the continuous fight for women’s equality? In today’s age, such celebrations can feel cluttered with cursory social media posts from big corporations counterfeiting progressiveness as a marketing ploy. This seems a far cry from what Clara Zetkin, the woman who proposed the day, initially intended it to be – a means to tirelessly press on for women’s demands. However, thankfully, there are organizations and individuals still striving for the betterment of ALL women’s emotional, physical and sociopolitical betterment. So, in hopes of keeping true to the spirit of the day, here are a list of organizations doing great work that you can research, donate to, or share online as a way of giving meaningful ode to International Women’s Day. Don’t forget to sprinkle a fancy gif on socials too, of course!
WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS IN THE USA
1) Therapy for Black Girls
The mission of Therapy for Black Girls is to sustain and grow an engaged community centered on the mental health needs of Black women and girls. They perform this mission by creating resources, content, and experiences designed to present information in a way that feels relevant and accessible.
How you can support: Donate and share over at https://therapyforblackgirls.com/
2) For The Gworls
For The Gworls is a collective that hosts monthly parties (pre-covid) with the end goal of raising money to help Black, trans people pay for their rent and gender-affirming surgeries. Asanni Armon is a Black, genderqueer artist who is the founder and Head Doll in Charge at For The Gworls. They see the club as a safe haven for Black transgender people, and by extension, believe that it should be used as a tool to sustain Black trans livelihood. Trans women are women. Period.
How you can support: Donate and share over at https://www.forthegworls.party/
3) Built By Girls
Built By Girls prepares female and non-binary students to step boldly into careers powered by technology. Through providing expert professionals to work one-on-one with students, and creating a dedicated space for female and non-binary students to learn practical skillsets, they’re setting future leaders up for success.
How you can support: Share and volunteer over at https://www.builtbygirls.com/
4) Win
Win is the largest provider of family shelter and supportive housing in New York City. They know that a comprehensive approach is necessary to break the cycle of homelessness that so many women face. In addition to housing, Win provides childcare, education, life skills, and income building for their clients. Win provides shelter and services to nearly 10 percent of the New York City. Homelessness isn’t talked about enough, but it’s a key issue for too many.
How you can support: Donate, Share, Volunteer over at https://winnyc.org/what-we-do/
5) Refuge
Refuge is an independent, specialist charity launched in 1971 that supports women fleeing domestic abuse and other forms of gender-based violence. Their specialist services support around 6,500 women and children on any given day. They provide a helpline, support on figuring what your rights and options are, as well as help finding an actual refuge.
How you can support: Donate, Share, Volunteer over at: https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/About-us
WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS IN THE UK
1) Women’s Aid
Women’s Aid is a charity that has been at the forefront of shaping and coordinating responses to domestic violence and abuse nationally for around 45 years. Founded to fight against the patriarchy, sexism, and violence, it grew out of the women’s movement of the ’70s and ’80s. They take an intersectional approach to ending domestic abuse and stand with other feminist organizations leading the way in eradicating violence against women.
How you can support: Donate, Share, and Volunteer over at: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/about-us/
2) Muslim Women’s Network UK
Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK) is the only national Muslim women’s organization in Britain. They are a small national charity that work to improve the social justice and equality for Muslim women and girls. They specialize in researching the experiences of Muslim women and girls and use this information to inform decision-makers in government.
How you can support: Donate, Share, Volunteer over at https://www.mwnuk.co.uk/
3) Imkaan
Imkaan is a UK-based, Black feminist organization. The only national second-tier women’s organization dedicated to addressing violence against Black and minoritized women and girls. The organization holds nearly two decades of experience working around issues such as domestic violence, forced marriage and honor-based violence.
How you can support: Donate, Share, Volunteer over at https://www.imkaan.org.uk
4) Bloody Good Period
Period poverty is a real issue that Bloody Good Period works tirelessly to tackle, tampons in hand. Put simply, they fight for menstrual equity and the rights of all people who bleed. Through delivering menstrual supplies to people who need them, providing sexual and reproductive health education for those who can’t otherwise access it, and normalizing menstruation.
How you can support: Donate, Share, Volunteer over at www.bloodygoodperiod.com
5) Young Women’s Trust
Young Women’s Trust is a feminist organization working to achieve economic justice for young women. They help women aged 18 to 30, who are living on low or no pay and want to build a better future. Through campaigning for young women’s equality in the workplace and conducting extensive research they hope to unlock young women’s potential, smash career stereotypes, and build equal workplaces.
How you can support: Donate, Share, Volunteer over at www.bloodygoodperiod.com
So, when you’re contemplating how to celebrate IWD, keep in mind that sharing, donating or volunteering at any of these organizations that are dedicated to the betterment of women is a great way to contribute meaningfully. Happy International Women’s Day!
