Iza Međunarodnog dana žena stoje stvarne biografije i sudbine Klare Cetkin, Tereze Malkijel, Roze Luksemburg i Aleksandre Kolontaj
Standing behind International Women’s Day are the actual biographies and destinies of Clara Zetkin, Theresa Malkiel, Rosa Luxemburg and Alexandra Kollontai
D anas ga vezujemo za cveće i poklone, često o njemu pežorativno govoreći. Muškarci pak misle da je sve rešeno kad kupe neki cvet i zaborave na celu paradu. Ali 8. mart je mno- go više od pomenutih banalnosti. On nas podseća da mi danas svoje živote živimo zahvaljujući hra- brosti i pameti nekih žena koje su se izborile za našu slo- bodu. Njihove priče su istorija borbe koja i dalje traje i zato moramo da se sećamo. Klara Cetkin, Roza Luksemburg, Aleksandra Kolon- taj i Tereza Malkijel nisu bile savršene heroine iz legendi. One su bile žene svog vremena – obrazovane ili radnice, emigrantkinje ili aristokratkinje, majke ili žene bez poro- dice, političarke ili revolucionarke. Ali zajedničko im je bi- lo jedno: razumele su da im ravnopravnost niko neće po- kloniti i da za nju moraju da se bore. Zato je 8. mart više od datuma. To je podsetnik da su prava koja danas sma- tramo normalnim – pravo glasa, obrazovanje, rad, poli- tičko učešće – nekada bila radikalna ideja, i da su se ne- ke žene za njih borile po cenu sopstvene slobode, zdravlja ili života. Na prelazu iz 19. u 20. vek, žene širom Evrope i Ame- rike radile su u fabrikama u uslovima koje danas teško možemo i da zamislimo: dugi radni dani, niske plate, ne- sigurnost, uznemiravanje, bez prava na bolovanje ili za- štitu. Upravo iz tog sveta rađa se ideja da žene mogu i moraju više i bolje, pa i ideja o Danu kao organizovanom političkom događaju. Prvi značajan korak dogodio se u Sjedinjenim Ame- ričkim Državama 1909. godine, kada je u Njujorku orga- nizovan „National Woman’s Day“. Već 1910. godine ideja se širi Evropom – na konferenciji u Kopenhagenu pred- ložen je Dan žena kao međunarodni datum solidarnosti. Velike proslave usledile su 1911, ali su događaji u Rusi- ji 1917. dodatno učvrstili 8. mart kao simbol ženske po- litičke snage. U Petrogradu su žene – radnice i domaćice – izašle na ulice zahtevajući „hleb i mir“, a protesti su bili toliko masovni da su postali okidač Februarske revolucije. U Sovjetskoj Rusiji 8. mart postaje državni datum obeležavanja Dana žena, a kasnije se ideja širi i global- no. Ujedinjene nacije su 1975. godine zvanično počele da obeležavaju Međunarodni dan žena, promovišući rodnu ravnopravnost, ekonomska, politička i društvena dosti- gnuća žena, čime 8. mart dobija institucionalno priznanje na svetskom nivou. Iza svega toga stoje one koje nisu bi- le samo govornice i organizatorke već i osobe sa složenim životima i često tragičnim sudbinama.
W e today associate this holiday with flowers and gifts, while it is often spoken of disparaging- ly. Meanwhile, men tend to think everything has been resolved once they’ve bought a flow- er and that they can forget about the whole pa- rade. However, 8 th March is much more than these banal markers. It serves to remind us that we today live liberated lives thanks to the courage and intelligence of certain women who fought for our free- dom. Their stories illustrate the history of a struggle that continues, which is why we must remember them. Clara Zetkin, Rosa Luxemburg, Alexandra Kollontai and Theresa Malkiel weren’t perfect heroines of legend. They were women of their times — educated or workers, emigrants or aristocrats, mothers or women without families, politicians or revolutionaries. But one thing that they had in common was an understanding that no one would grant them equality and that they’d have to fight for it. That’s why 8 th March is more than a date. It’s a reminder that women’s rights that we today take for granted – such as the rights to vote, education, em- ployment and political participation – were once radical ideas that some women fought for, and paid with their freedom, health, or life. At the turn of the 20 th century, women across Europe and Amer- ica worked in factories under such difficult conditions that we can hardly imagine today: long working hours, low wages, insecurity, har- assment, and no rights to sick leave or protection. It was this harsh world that spawned the idea that women can and must do more and better, leading to the idea of Women’s Day as an organised political event. The first significant step came in the U.S. in 1909, when Nation- al Woman’s Day was first organised in New York. And the idea had spread across Europe by as early as the next year – the establishment of Women’s Day, as an international date of solidarity, was proposed at a conference in Copenhagen. Great celebrations followed in 1911, while the events that rocked Russia in 1917 only served to further solidify the date of 8 th March as a symbol of female political strength. Namely, women — both textile workers and housewives — took to the streets of Petrogad (St Petersburg) demanding “Bread and Peace”, and the protests grew so massive that they ultimately sparked the February Revolution. In Soviet Russia, 8 th March became the official date to com- memorate Women’s Day, and that idea later spread around the world. The United Nations officially began marking International Women’s Day in 1975, using it to promote gender equality and to highlight the economic, political and social achievements of wom- en. And so it was that 8 th March gained institutional recognition worldwide. And behind it all stand those who weren’t merely speak- ers and organisers, but also people who had complex lives, and of- ten faced tragic destinies.
Suština 8. marta je u tome da se ne slavi samo žena već istorija ženske hrabrosti Essentially, 8 th March isn’t only about celebrating “women”, but rather the history of female courage
Women’s Day » Dan žena | 75
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