March officially marks Women’s History Month, and with the Me Too movement and Roe v Wade still very much hanging in the balance, it is all the more reason to celebrate however we can to lobby, fundraise, and bring awareness. At the time of this article, the earlier events and festivities have passed, however there is at this point (mid-March as I am currently writing this), much still to look forward to!
In the Bay Area, there are numerous occasions that are quickly coming up. On March 14th, Berkeley Student Food Collective will host a Women’s History Month Tribute Night at 4 p.m., filled with music, activities, and giveaways, all honoring local women artists – free food included! If you are in the peninsula, the Mitchell Park Library and Community Center in Palo Alto are both holding events for teens and families alike! There will be a Women’s History Pop-Up for teens on the 15th of March from 3-4 p.m., as well as a Family Craft: Rocketships event on Thursday, March 23rd from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. On Sunday, March 19th from 4-7 p.m., there will be a Rotary Project Fair, Panel Discussion, and Raffle Prizes at the Rotary San Jose Summit Center. This is a great event if you are looking to network and stay involved in the community.
On the International Women’s Day website, there are some virtual events available as well. One such virtual meet up for those in the U.S. is on March 29th, is a webinar that will focus on advancing gender equity for the hidden workforce in coffee and cocoa. The goal will be to provide training and support to those in this industry. Feel like registering? You can do so, here!: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkd-upqD4qHtG2fL4GMGrVDg6zw1vDQo7e
Including that webinar, there are many others that will strengthen leadership skills and empower those attending to continue using their voices to make a difference.
The National Museum of Asian Art in Washington D.C. is hosting an event daily both in person and online, called “The Women of the Freer,” a tour of some perhaps lesser-known yet powerful and influential women that are a part of the collection, where you will be able to meet these women and learn their stories.
This website is a wonderful resource, as it shows you in-person events around the world as well as virtual! In Japan, there is both a Women in Tech hybrid event that will connect women in the tech industry with each other, as well as another event which will discuss A Path Towards our Gender-Equal Future. Both are to take place on March 15th. In Belfast, Ireland, on the 15th, there will be a Mid Ulster District Council International Women’s Day 2023. In Dubai, U.A.E., there will be an event called IWD Embracing Equity: A Fireside Chat with Four Leaders.
Women are still being oppressed in more ways than one, and it sadly won’t end with Mahsa Amini – not if we don’t continue to fight and keep the movement going strong. Women’s rights did initially start as a cause that focused on and benefitted white women, but now, more women (particularly women of color) are on the Supreme Court, which within itself is a huge milestone considering how behind we still are in this society. This, along with many other reasons, is why we must keep the conversation going. Many countries around the world have strict abortion bans and other laws that restrict the amount of autonomy and independence women can have. In Iran, women are jailed for something as small as dancing or singing in public, or doing anything that would allow them to be self-sufficient outside of their marriages. These, along with many other issues, are on-going and are at times easily forgotten about by those who are not there or affected directly, so the more awareness is brought to specific instances and women’s rights in general, the better chance we have of making progress in the long-run.