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Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day (IWD), a day that was established in 1910 at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was first observed on March 19th, 1911. For its inaugural celebration, IWD was recognized by more than one million women and men in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Six days later, on March 25, 1911, the infamous Triangle shirtwaist factory Fire in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working women. This focused attention in the U.S. on the contributions of women’s work outside the home and on broader labor issues for years to come.

Bella Abzug was a leading American feminist, lawyer, and Congresswoman. She was chair of the National Commission on the Observance of International Women’s Year. Her voice is preserved in the Pacifica Radio Archives and today in celebration of International Women’s Day, we honor her and other American women by sharing with you Bella Abzug in her own voice.

Special thanks to Mark Torres and the Pacifica Radio Archives for this recording.