Decolonization Is Women’s Work
March 8, 1950—International Women’s Day—Marked the Embrace of a Feminist Battle Against Imperialism
It was 1950, and the world was in flames: In Vietnam, Iran, Madagascar, Algeria, West Africa, South Africa, Tunisia, Malaya, Burma, and Cuba, wars of counterinsurgency were being waged against colonial powers that refused to leave. Women, with weapons in their hands and the courage to hide soldiers, grow food for the frontlines, and pass messages across their battlefronts, took part in fighting these wars for independence. At the same time, they sought peace, freedom, and women’s rights.
On March 8, International Women’s Day, they erupted in protests to demand an …
