On March 8th, International Women's Day, Women and their allies in the United States acted together in, "Day Without Women." For those who failed to notice all of the red being worn around our campus, "Day Without Women" was a movement "for equity, justice and the human rights of women and all gender-oppressed people, through a one-day demonstration of economic solidarity," the strike's website states.
There are three ways in which people could participate:
- Women take the day off, from paid and unpaid labor
- Avoid shopping for one day (with exceptions for small, women- and minority-owned businesses).
- Wear RED in solidarity with A Day Without A Woman
Women have come a long way, yet we can all agree there is a great deal of progress to be made until we reach our goal of equality. With these guidelines, the strike aimed to recognize, "the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio-economic system--while receiving lower wages and experiencing greater inequities, vulnerability to discrimination, sexual harassment, and job insecurity."
On Monday, March 6th, my English professor, Judith Lewin, asked our class if we would like to participate in the movement... it was a resounding "yes." She said not showing up to teach wasn't enough to make an actual impact. For our class, it simply meant we wouldn't have to show up (which would have been a true blessing during week 10, am I right?). My professor stressed that only a handful of people would know that she had taken the day off in support of the strike. So how was our 8-person class going to make an impact on our small campus? Simple. A photo shoot in front of the Nott, clad with posters and red.
We took 15 minutes out of our class to take these beauties and it was a ton of fun. Although this was a one-day movement, it is important to always keep in mind ways in which we can strive towards gender equality. Lastly, shoutout to the only male in our class, Charles, you are a true rockstar, fellas, take some notes.
For more information on the strike, check out the website below:
https://www.womensmarch.com/womensday/
