[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 6, 2002

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, International Women's Day began 
in our Nation. It was not a gift from Members of Congress, nor from the 
well-clothed captains of industry, but rather a victory achieved by the 
women who sewed the suits they wore. It was these women, garment 
workers, who went on strike March 8, 1857, demanding the bread of 
economic security and the roses of a better life.
  At an international conference held fifty-three years later, German 
socialist Clara Zetkin asked for an international women's day to mark 
the strike of the garment workers in the United States. Her request was 
met with unanimous support, and International Women's Day was born.
  More than 11,000 babies will be born in our Nation today. These 
children will eventually inherit many of the problems the Federal 
Government strives to solve. To prepare them to assume responsibility 
for progressive government leadership, we must ensure their health, 
give them adequate nutrition, educate them, allow them equal 
opportunities, and inspire them with knowledge of the accomplishments 
which generations of women have contributed to the world.
  And so, as we celebrate International Women's Day this Saturday, we 
must recommit ourselves to the betterment of the lives of and equal 
opportunities for our daughters, our wives, our sisters, and our 
mothers. We do this to honor all women, and especially those on strike 
during the early spring of 1857, who remind us of our capacity to 
improve our lives and the lives of those around us.

                          ____________________