University renews its commitment in these struggles through various events in march… and more!

Women’s Rights week

Every year, International Day for Women’s Rights is an opportunity to enhance awareness and mobilize people around this key date, on discrimination and equality issues. Why do we celebrate March 8 as women’s day? In 1909, during a series of strikes in the United States, a young jewish woman, Theresa Serber, polish immigrant in United States wishes to join social and women’s rights movements. She calls for a day of action for women’s rights in February. On March 8, 1915, Russian Alexandra Kollontaï organized a women’s demonstration against the First World War in Christiana, near Oslo. Clara Zetkin organized an international conference bringing together women from almost every country involved in the conflict. On April 15, 1915, 1,136 women from 12 different countries met in The Hague. The women attending the congress will form the Women’s International League for Peace. Following the demonstrations by Russian women during the 1917 revolution, March 8 was chosen as the date for the annual gathering. In 1975, the United Nations began celebrating International Women’s Day as International Women’s Year.

Week against racism and anti-Semitism

March 21 is the international day against racism and anti-Semitism, and every year a week of action is organized. The United Nations General Assembly chose this date as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 1966 : commemorates the massacre of 69 peaceful anti-apartheid demonstrators on March 21, 1960 in Sharpeville, South Africa. During a non-violent demonstration against the Pass Act (domestic racial passports), police fired on black people. There were 69 dead and 150 injured. The United Nations General Assembly then decided to establish a week of solidarity “with peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination”, around March 21.