It Was Supposed to be Easy

Or so we thought when we decided to embrace Governor Jan’s challenge to celebrate International Women’s Day. It was early November, and March 8 was a long way away. We jumped on board at the suggestion to hold a luncheon. We arranged for someone to recruit a speaker. Done. We arranged for someone to book a venue. Done. We were on our way.

Then it was February. Our original speaker canceled, and in the midst of planning two fundraisers, one of them our biggest of the year, we found ourselves scrambling to find another speaker. Somewhere in this time frame we realized (OK, I realized) that it was not just any International Women’s Day. This was the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. Last year’s proclamation from the Mayor of Salt Lake County would not do; we needed a new one.

And to top it all off, we found ourselves in the less-than desirable position of advertising for two events in the same week, taking reservations for two events in the same week, designing and printing programs for two events in the same week. Whew!

So in the end, it wasn’t easy. Most worthwhile endeavors are not. I think of the struggles of the women whom we remember on International Women’s Day. Women who fought to obtain the right to vote, the right to work, the right to hold office. Women who fought against child labor and sweatshops. It wasn’t easy for them, and we are the beneficiaries of their work.

Our luncheon was fabulous. Keynote speaker Karen Shepherd reminded us that, as far as women have come in this past 100 years, we have so much further to go. I hope that our celebration did justice to the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.