March 8 marks International Women’s Day, a day that celebrates the social, political, and economic achievements of women across the world. This paramount day, which draws from the women’s suffrage movement and was first celebrated by the United Nations in 1975, seeks to celebrate women’s achievements and raise funds for female-focused charities while bringing awareness to issues of women’s inequality.
International Women’s Day also marks the tradition of Portland’s Soapstone organization bestowing The Soapstone Bread and Roses Award upon one woman whose work has positively influenced the writing community. This year’s honor goes to Maureen R. Michelson and NewSage Press’s latest edition of One Woman, One Vote: Rediscovering the Woman Suffrage Movement, coming in May 2021. Arriving at the ideal time to commemorate the Nineteenth Amendment’s hundredth anniversary, this second edition of One Woman, One Vote features 23 essays about the women’s movement, acting as a companion to the 1995 PBS American Experience documentary by the same name.
