WHEREAS, International Women's Day first emerged from the activities of labor movements at the turn of the twentieth century and has both local and global dimensions; and

WHEREAS, Washington women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our state and nation in countless recorded and unrecorded ways; and

WHEREAS, Washington women have played and continue to play a critical political, economic, cultural, and social role in every sphere of life by constituting a significant portion of the labor force, and have made progress in closing the gender gap since 1971; and

WHEREAS, The Washington State Women's Council and Washington Women United, 1971-1986, were established, "To consider appropriate questions pertaining to the rights and needs of women in contemporary America and to make recommendations to the Legislature with respect to desirable changes in program and law"; and

WHEREAS, The Washington State Women's Council and Washington Women United worked to pass legislation overcoming discrimination against women, including the Washington State Equal Rights Amendment, a community property bill that required that the ownership and management of assets be equally shared between married partners, and a bill requiring all jobs to be advertised in Washington newspapers without reference to gender; and

WHEREAS, The Beijing Platform for Action focuses on 12 critical areas of concern and envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income, and living in societies free from violence and discrimination; and

WHEREAS, At the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, the global call was to end all forms of violence against women and girls by highlighting violence against women as one of the 12 critical areas of concern; and 

WHEREAS, In 2015, International Women's Day, celebrated globally on March 8th, will highlight the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a historic roadmap signed by 189 governments 20 years ago that sets the agenda for realizing women's rights; and

WHEREAS, The growing international women's movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women's conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point to build support for women's rights and participation in the political and economic arenas; and

WHEREAS, This is the time to uphold women's achievements, recognize challenges, and focus greater attention on women's rights and gender equality to mobilize all people to do their part; and 

WHEREAS, International Women's Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change, and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities; and

WHEREAS, From the early 1970s until the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, and now today, women have made progress in achieving the full privileges and responsibilities of leadership in Washington State;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate celebrate the achievements of women in history and recognize the importance of Washington State women's participation in the Beijing 12 critical areas of concerns, which call for greater equality, justice, and fairness.