On International Women’s Day

‘New future, new dignity

Bread and Roses

(Words by Caroline Kohlsaat, Music by J. Oppenheim)

As we come marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,

A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill-lofts gray,

Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun
discloses,

For the people hear us singing, “Bread and roses, bread and
roses.”

As we come marching, marching, we battle too, for men,

For they are women’s children, and we mother them again.

Our lives shall not be sweated from birth unti! life ‘closes—

Hearts starve as well as bodies, “Give us bread, but give
us roses.”

As we come marching, marching, outnumbered women
dead,

Go crying thro’ our singing their ancient song for bread,

Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits know,

Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too.

As we come marching, marching, we bring the Greater Days!
The rising of the women means the rising of the race,
No more drugs and idler; ten that toil where one
reposes ..
But the sharing
roses!

of life’s glories; bread and roses, bread and

so arousing and activating the
women of the world that never
again, if their efforts could help
prevent it, would there be an-
other world war.

In over 100 countries women’s
organizations have become a
part of this great movement, of
which the Congress of Canadian
Women is one.

At the Varna, Bulgaria Coun-
cil Meeting of the WIDF early
last May, the delegates were
warned to be alert with regard
to the growing fascism in Eu-
rope and America.

War is a way of life for the
profit system. Arms manufac-
ture and sale of arms, and the
military pacts such as NATO,
NORAD, SEATO,  etc., are
agents that lead to war. World
War II left 50 million dead—six

million Jews, and 20 millions of
the Soviet Union.

The world capitalist class is
in crisis again. The United
States has a deficit of some $100
billion in its balance of pay-
ments, jlargely due to the war

day care centres for working
mothers. Letters and briefs to
governments. And serious con-
cern for our young people, for
our elderly on low incomes, and
for the one fourth of our people
who are living below the pover-
ty level, 60% of them working
poor.

And in the world of affairs
the work for peace must go on.
World pressure did much to
bring peace in Vietnam. It must
continue until Indochina is unit-
ed and free to decide its own
future.

What of the struggles in

This song was written to com-
memorate the march of im-
migrant workers in New York,
on March 8, 1908, and the day
was called National Women’s
Day.

In 1910, at the International-
ist Socialist Congress in Copen-
hagen, and at the initiative of
Clara Zetkin of Germany, it
was proclaimed International
Women’s Day —the day of in-
spiration, commitment and chal-
lenge for the working women of
the world.

In 1914 came the First World
War, and before its close, in
1917, the world’s first socialist
country was born: the first coun-
try to include in its Constitution
the equality of women. Watch-
ing the progress of the working
class in the Soviet Union, the
workers in Germany made many
gains, but the ruling class had
never really accepted the Ver-~
sailles Treaty, and in 1933, in
the early days of Hitler, Clara
Zetkin on. International Wo-
men’s Day made her agonizing
appeal to the women, to the

people of the world:

“Look at Germany, where dy-
ing capitalism is seeking salva-
tion in fascism . . . a regime of
physical and spiritual destruc-

tion where atrocities exceed
even those of the Middle
Ages ...

“Working women, remember
that fascism deprives you of
right to independent WORK ss t=
Do not forget the brave women
who have been tortured to death
by fascism, or are languishing
in its dungeons .. .

“Scientists, artists, teachers,

writers, professional people . . -
Enemies of fascism in all coun-
tries! Not a single one of us
should rest at ease until fas-

Too often the centre-piece of woman’s life has been mourning the
war dead, as in Vietnam. To change that, millions are engaged in
the world-wide struggle for peace. In Laos, (right) peace comes

grudgingly, but is close enough to allow a smile. The All-African
Women’s Conference (below) is just one glimpse of the organizing
going into ensuring women a new kind of future.

cism, which brings in its train in Indochina. (Harlow Unger,

bloody oppression, starvation
and war, has been destroyed.”
But not enough did listen.
War came first in Spain and
China, and then, the Second
World War. Then war in Korea,
and war in Vietnam. At the
close of World War II, in 1945,
women of the devastated coun-
tries of Europe and Asia met in
Paris and formed the Women’s
International Democratic Fede-
ration—WIDF—with the aim of

ye

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 1973—PAGE 6

CBC Feb. 9, 1973.) It has caused
rapidly rising inflation through-
out the. Western world, and
equally mounting unemploy-
ment.

A generation of youth has
been turned away, finding no
place for itself in another
period of war — a war it be-
lieves to be wrong and cannot
accept. The United States has
lost over 70,000 of its young
folks to Canada alone, because
of the war. In Canada, as in the
U.S., higher education has been
drastically cut back, and adver-
tisements appear regularly in
our papers and magazines for
young men and women to seek
their learning in the military
colleges and with the RCMP.

More than 6% of Canada’s
work force is unemployed, and
over half among the youth. It is
a time when participation of the
people is of great importance—
demonstrations against high
prices of food, rents and cloth-
ing, and above all for jobs—and

South Africa and in U
of Portugal? And
where like our own
among our Native
struggle is for natio
tion and equality?
women are needed. ss Jl
A -year ago on Intertill'y
Women’s Day, we honor
memory of Rac Luckoe ti is
first and beloved CCW na
president. This year
warm tribute to our eat ah
Buller who leaves behin
the example of a kee? 5 Z
of world affairs and at
fighter who gave hersel Fi
ingly to arouse and ee
workers—men and wold
the. buiding of a classles
ada.

ff
In gratitude to all va Coy
working for peace, ane ait Ret
better life for women és! hes
where, we give the WO esl on
Clara Colon, U.S. 14D ill ove
in her booklet, Entel =lsllian
Today’s Woman: eat!
“What will socialism “i F
the American woman? gett Phe
mean that she will no 10! “| Ha
condemned to a half-life Pre
she wishes to devote me ie to |
energies and time if the
education or skilled ary
ship, she can do so Wig
assurance that her child!
receive the best of Cal’ pis
talent is administeratio® “it Ba
tical leadership in het §¢
society, the door is Wo j,i
for her, Or if her choice A ff
time motherhood, it #),
choice and not a social ©
omic imposition.
“The new dignity,
and ‘healthy pride wom
acquire will not only
her a new woman, bu
to the nature and dig
humankind.”
The Com

Canadiaa

con