Our statement in honor of International Working Women's Day

Originally published on March 8, 2024

All around the world, women are taking up arms and fighting for the liberation of their class and their nation. From the national liberation war in Palestine, the people's wars in India, the Philippines, Turkey, and Peru, and the revolts against bureaucrat capitalism and imperialism in Sudan, the Congo, and elsewhere, Half the Sky sends a militant salute to all working women fighting to break their chains and build a new society in service of the majority of working masses and not simply a minority of exploiters. Amidst this global eruption of struggle, we are reminded of the involvement of girls and young women in particular. Like the iconic chant of the young girls revolting in Sudan, we agree that "the youth will build anew, revolution! And if we only have one hand left, revolution!"¹

Of course, building a new society is no easy task. Instead, it requires that the masses and their advanced detachment engage in a long and protracted struggle based on correct theory and a correct analysis of our current conditions. As our name suggests, to build a new society not based on exploitation requires the participation and leadership of the other "half of the sky." For us, this means that we must organize and unite working women, trans people, and non-binary people in our common struggle for a liberated future.

“The new woman...is first and foremost a militant." The new woman, she said, "is one who can stay whole days and nights with striking workers, learning from them the social realities which her bourgeois education has kept from her.” -Lorena Barros

We understand that the question of a new society necessitates the question of a new woman, new man, new person. For us, the new woman, the new person, is built through the flames of militant struggle where we shed the ideas of the old society and embrace the qualities of the new one. We can learn how to do this by studying the proletarian revolutions of the past and the people's wars being waged today. Lorena Barros, the Filipina martyr and founder of the militant women's organization MAKIBAKA, said this clearly: “the new woman...is first and foremost a militant." The new woman, she said, "is one who can stay whole days and nights with striking workers, learning from them the social realities which her bourgeois education has kept from her.”²

The bourgeoisie, which is the ruling class in capitalism, has kept our history from us. We are not told about the real history of International Working Women's Day (IWWD). We are not told about the advances made by the USSR and Revolutionary China towards the emancipation of women. We are not taught that the real root of women's oppression lies in class society itself, and instead are sold counterfeit solutions based on "individual empowerment" and the idea that women's emancipation means that women too can become exploiters like their bourgeois male counterparts.

The Real History of International Working Women's Day (IWWD)

On this International Working Women's Day, let us pay homage to its revolutionary roots, forged in the fires of history by the strength of working women. Established in 1910 by Clara Zetkin, IWWD commemorates the indomitable spirit of the 15,000 women who in 1908, amid the clamor of New York City, marched in solidarity, demanding their "Bread and Roses", the rights to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Their fervor was not in vain, for it echoed across continents and time, finding resonance in the 1917 women's strike in St. Petersburg, Russia. There, their rallying cry inspired the February Revolution, toppling Russia's Czar and heralding the Bolshevik October Revolution.

We uphold the moniker "IWWD" as a testament to its communist heritage and to champion the working women at the forefront of our struggle. For IWWD is not merely a day of commemoration; it is a call for unity amidst class struggle. In embracing IWWD, we shun the divisiveness of bourgeois feminism, recognizing its complicity; complicity to the very structures of capitalism it claims to oppose, as it turns our oppressors into idols if they so be women.

Let us, instead, forge an inclusive, proletarian feminism—one that confronts the systemic injustices inherent in capitalism, and one that unites workers of all stripes in our common quest for liberation. On this IWWD and beyond, let us pledge ourselves to the timeless cause of emancipation for all, emancipation from the tyranny and violence of imperialist capitalism.

Our role and responsibility in the current struggle

Our organization has a decades-long history rooted in the struggle for new democracy in the Philippines and an affirmation of the role of nationally oppressed working women in the struggle for a new society. However, over the last decade, our organization became disconnected from the national democratic struggle and the broader anti-imperialist movement. Furthermore, the movement of women and trans people today is generally dominated by ruling-class feminism, liberal individualism, or revisionism, which can be understood as the packaging of capitalist ideas in the language and imagery of socialism. Seeing the need for a genuinely revolutionary movement of women and gender-oppressed people in this country, we decided to reconstitute ourselves to answer the call.

"The same ruling classes, whether imperialists, capitalists, feudals and the State they control, are the enemies of women because they uphold and perpetuate the patriarchal family, gender discrimination and the patriarchal ideology within that society. They get the support of ordinary men undoubtedly who imbibe the patriarchal ideas, which are the ideas of the ruling classes and oppress women. But the position of ordinary men and those of the ruling classes cannot be compared." -Anuradha Ghandy

Moreover, in a time where the bourgeoisie is attempting to turn the class antagonism into a gender antagonism—inciting working men against working women, working cis people against working trans people—we aim to expose these tactics and to unite our class against its common enemy. On the one hand, the reactionary bourgeoisie blames the problems of cis women on trans women and the problems of men on women. On the other hand, the bourgeois feminists blame ordinary men for the creation and maintenance of women's oppression. Both of these approaches exploit the insecurity and problems faced by working people of all genders. These approaches scapegoat oppressed sectors of society, like women or trans people, while obscuring the central role and fault of the capitalist ruling class. 

Like Alexandra Kollontai said:

"It is true that several specific aspects of the contemporary system lie with double weight upon women, as it is also true that the conditions of hired labour sometimes turn working women into competitors and rivals to men. But in these unfavourable situations, the working class knows who is guilty..."³

Anuradha Ghandy further explained:

"The same ruling classes, whether imperialists, capitalists, feudals and the State they control, are the enemies of women because they uphold and perpetuate the patriarchal family, gender discrimination and the patriarchal ideology within that society. They get the support of ordinary men undoubtedly who imbibe the patriarchal ideas, which are the ideas of the ruling classes and oppress women. But the position of ordinary men and those of the ruling classes cannot be compared."⁴

The widespread promotion of patriarchal ideology today, through all major cultural institutions, lends support to the reactionary ideas of the ruling class. Understanding this, we believe it is necessary to win over and transform the ordinary people who are imbued with patriarchal ideology. And, at the same time, it is necessary to oppose class-collaboration and bourgeois feminism that obscure the role of the ruling class and its state in upholding gender discrimination and violence. That's why, this IWWD, we want to promote the call to organize and unite working women and gender-oppressed people against our common enemy. 

In order to correctly identify who our common enemy is, we first have to understand that there are generally two different types of societies: advanced capitalist and semi-feudal, semi-colonial. Examples of advanced capitalist countries would be the United States, and semi-feudal, semi-colonial countries would be India, the Philippines, Peru, and Ethiopia. In the semi-feudal countries, the structures maintaining the oppression of women are imperialism, bureaucrat capitalism, and feudalism. In the advanced capitalist countries, the structure maintaining women's oppression is capitalism-imperialism, including its ruling class and its state. This is important to understand because it explains why patriarchy manifests differently in different types of countries.

Imperialism “first allies itself with the ruling strata of the previous social structure, with the feudal lords and the trading and money-lending bourgeoisie, against the majority of the people. Everywhere imperialism attempts to preserve and to perpetuate all those pre-capitalist forms of exploitation (especially in the villages) which serve as the basis for the existence of its reactionary allies”. “Imperialism, with all its financial and military might, is the force in China that supports, inspires, fosters and preserves the feudal survivals, together with their entire bureaucratic-militarist superstructure.” - Chairman Mao

As activists in the United States, on occupied Turtle Island, we recognize that our fight against our own imperialist ruling class has reverberations to the struggle of women and gender-oppressed people everywhere. Like Mao said, "everywhere imperialism attempts to preserve and to perpetuate all those pre-capitalist forms of exploitation"⁵ In semi-feudal countries, patriarchy manifests as a result of feudalism, which is maintained in large part by imperialist domination. By weakening U.S. imperialism and building the revolutionary movement here, we also aid the struggle of women in semi-feudal countries. This IWWD, let us also reconfirm our commitment to internationalism and our responsibility to the oppressed and exploited masses of the world as the activists living within the belly of the beast.

Build the militancy of working women

As a militant organization of women and gender-oppressed people, we claim the legacy of militant women who came before us. We honor Comrade Jiang Qing from China, who Anuradha Ghandy called the "living symbol" of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, and who was the wife of Chairman Mao. We honor Comrade Norah from Peru and her role in building the Popular Women's Movement which had international reverberations. We honor Comrade Anuradha Ghandy from India who gave her life in service of the revolution. We honor Comrade Martha Mebrahu from Ethiopia/Eritrea, who gave her life in service of the struggle for socialism and national liberation and became an international icon of resistance and revolution.  We also honor the women who contributed to the struggle for socialism and national liberation and against revisionism in our own country, like Comrade Claudia Jones.

And as oppressed people everywhere are enthused with revolutionary fervor, it is no coincidence that militant women have risen to the forefront. We honor Comrade Leila Khaled of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) who has emerged as an international icon of the Palestine national liberation war. We recognize the women's units of the Martyr Omar Al-Qasim Forces of the National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). We also honor the women who, although their name might not be mentioned, have given their life in service of the struggle for socialism and national liberation.

Join us for our IWWD Events

As we commemorate International Working Women's Day, let us become united in our resolve to smash the structures that perpetuate oppression and exploitation. Together, let us continue to organize, resist, and fight for a future where every woman worker is valued, empowered, and truly free. Join us in this collective struggle for our liberation! For more details, check out our instagram pages:

• Austin, Texas: Friday, March 8, 6:30pm (IG: halftheskyTX)
• McAllen, Texas: Saturday, March 9, 6:30pm (IG: halftheskyTX)
• Seattle, Washington: Friday, March 8, 4pm - 6pm (IG: halftheskyPNW)
• Los Angeles, California: Saturday, March 9, 10am - 2pm (IG: halftheskySoCal)
• Harlem, New York: Sunday, March 10, 1pm (IG: halftheskyNYC)

The new woman, new person, is first and foremost a militant and her place, our place, is in the struggle.  

References

1. Arthur Larie Gidam, Drums Of Protest In Khartoum​​​​​​​, 2022.

2. Lorena Barros Liberated Women II, 1971.

3. Alexandra Kollontai The Social Basis of the Woman Question, 1909.

4. Anuradha Ghandy Philosophical Trends in the Feminist Movement.

5. Communist Party of China and Communist Party of Peru, On Bureaucrat-Capitalism.