International Women's Day
"Women (and slaves) are like inanimate objects, reacting without knowing what they are doing, like fire which burns without knowing it", said Aristotle. Many centuries have passed from ancient times until now when women have decided to take control over their own destiny. FROM NOW ON WE SHALL STRUGGLE TOGETHER. FROM NOW ON THERE WILL BE MORE AND MORE OF US DEMONSTRATING IN THE STREETS IN EVERY COUNTRY OF THE WORLD ON 8th MARCH.
Today we are celebrating our struggle, we are celebrating the awareness of millions of women who no longer accept being like fire which burns without knowing it.
In all class-structured societies we women have always taken second place, burdened with the jobs of being mother-wife-serving girl. Unaware of our bodies, our sexuality, and our own happiness. We've had enough of being the "second sex" We've had enough of being the inexhaustable source of others' pleasure.
If our consciousness has been raised within the capitalist society, it is within that society, and right now that we must organise ourselves to end women's submission and radically transform this unjust and unequal society by changing ourselves.
When we celebrate 8th March, we are celebrating our struggle against all oppression. We are celebrating the women's movement as an autonomous movement which is struggling not only for equality between the sexes but for a fundamental change in human relationships which are currently based on force and domination.
We women of the CIRCLE OF BRAZILIAN WOMEN in Paris have been meeting for three years in order to fight against our oppression and to give our support and solidarity to the feminist movement which has started in Brazil. We want to be the voice of women from a continent whose people have been crushed by military dictatorships.
URGENT APPEAL:
We appeal to the international feminist movement to act immediately in support of the demands of the women's movement in Brazil:
- The immediate release of political prisoners Jessie, Norma, Rosalice and Ines;
- an end to the practice of forced contraception by the military dictatorship;
- for a free and independent feminist press.
SUPPORT THE FEMINIST PRESS IN BRAZIL which is fighting for freedom of expression and for freedom of political organisation.
SEND TELEGRAMS to the Brazilian Embassy in your country demanding the release of all women who are repressed because they dared to speak out.
The women's movement in Brazil includes more and more women workers who are decrying their exploitation and oppression. THE WOMEN'S STRUGGLE HAS NO FRONTIERS.
Cercle de Femmes Brasiliennes,
AC/Batista Oliveira
45 Rue Sodi Carrot
92170 VAUVES, France