Over the last year, women across the globe have been making sure their voices are heard. Hosting nationwide marches and building campaigns like the #MeToo movement, these everyday heroes who rally for equality among genders are set on leaving the world better than they found it. This effort, however, began long before the feminist movement of today.

First observed in 1911, International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The observance also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Accomplishments such as the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote, are not only reflected upon and celebrated but continue to serve as motivation to achieve the equality women still lack today.

International Women’s Day is the perfect opportunity to show appreciation for the women in your life. You could help a female friend out, express your thanks to a female family member, or simply wear purple, the international color symbolizing women, to show your support for the advocacy of women’s rights and the celebration of the odds women have overcome to grow closer and closer to the equality they’ve strived to attain for over a century.