nwasianweekly.com
Mar. 8, 2008

Hillary Clinton’s contribution to women everywhere

This Saturday, March 8, is International Women’s Day. Though largely unrecognized until recently, International Women’s Day has been in existence since 1909, 10 years before women won the right to vote in this country.

Recently, noted feminist Gloria Steinem pointed out in The New York Times that black men were granted the right to vote a half-century before women. We’re not interested in playing the who-is-more-oppressed game, but it’s significant to note that women, and immigrants, should be particularly vigilant against taking the right to vote for granted.

2008 is a historic year, a year that many people did not believe they would live to see in their lifetime: a black man and a woman as serious contenders to be the president of the United States of America.

And the Democratic primaries of Ohio and Texas March 4 demonstrated that Hillary Clinton is indeed still a serious contender. Whatever the outcome of the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Clinton is a testament to the political and cultural progress that women have made in this country.

Last November, The Wall Street quoted Linda Dunbar, a 57-year-old voter living in the suburbs of Cleveland, as saying, “I just don’t believe the international world is ready for a woman president.” Numerous publications jumped on the absurdity of Dunbar’s comment. Seattle’s Conscious Choice magazine pointed out that the international world has had 91 female presidents, prime ministers and governors general since 1945.

Unfortunately, Dunbar is not the only American who holds such a narrow view. Which makes Sen. Clinton’s run for the presidency all the more impressive and noteworthy. In all the debates and arguments of whether she is the “right” woman to be the first female president, or whether gender or race is more handicapping, or whether she can successfully shrug off the mantle of her husband’s influence, let us not lose sight of the underlying situation that initiated these arguments: Hillary Clinton has made the possibility of a female American president tangible and imminent.

This International Woman’s Day, we salute Sen. Clinton’s accomplishments and recognize her contributions to the status of women all around the world.

We also encourage you to commemorate the day by seeking out one of the many events planned around Seattle, including:

“Ladies First,” a documentary film exploring how Rwanda is increasing women’s participation in politics and civil society, March 7, www.meaningfulmovies.org.

Actionable Steps for Achieving Career Success, a seminar offered by UW Women’s Resource Center and Lisa Quast, the founder of Career Woman, March 8, depts.washington.edu/womenctr/classes/registration.html.

The Seattle chapter of National Organization for Women presents “Exploring Political/Cultural/Social Aspects of Gemder Identity in the Middle East,” March 11, www.nowseattle.org.

RDI’s International Women’s Day Luncheon for Women’s Land Rights, March 20, http:/www.rdiland.org/EVENTS/2008womensday.html.

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