Coalition of women's organizations plans events during Women's History Month in March
Press Release
Coalition of women's organizations plans events during
Women's History Month in March
-- Major focus on Harriet Tubman on 100th Anniversary of
her death
International Working Women's Day Coalition
Events
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3/1/13
On Facebook at: International Working Women's Day Coalition
A coalition of community-based women's organizations that has
organized events for the past eight years have announced plans for women's
events in Manhattan, Harlem, Brooklyn and the Bronx to celebrate women's
struggles. The events include a rally and march on March 9th, starting at the
site of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in Manhattan, and tributes to
Harriet Tubman on March 10 at Harlem's African Methodist Episcopal Zion
Church, in Brooklyn at Boys and Girls High on Sat. March 16 and in the Bronx at
the Bronx Art Space Gallery on Sunday, March 24. All events are open to the
media and are free.
The schedule is as follows:
MARCH 9, Saturday
11:30 a.m. in Manhattan
23-29 Washington Place
Speak Out & Vigil on the theme "Every issue is a woman's
issue" at the Triangle Shirtwaist Memorial, where in 1911 women workers
died in a factory fire.
1 p.m. March & Rally -- our contingent will join a rally called by
Women Organized to Resist and Defend (WORD) in Washington Square
Park
Three events in March to celebrate the life of Harriet Tubman -- a freedom
fighter - on the Centennial of her March 10 death:
MARCH 10, Sunday
Honoring the Warrior Spirit of Harriet Tubman
Worship Service 11am - 1pm
1:30 PM - Short film & discussion
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church on the Hill, 975 S. Nicolas
Ave.
MARCH 16, Saturday 1- 4 p.m.
Boys and Girls High School at 1700 Fulton St, Brooklyn
Videos and readings on Harriet Tubman, along with artwork and poetry,
followed by a communal meal. Program co-sponsored by the the CARE Center, a
youth program.
March 24, Sunday 3 p.m.
Bronx Art Space Gallery at 305 E 140 St. @ Alexander Ave., Bronx
Vignettes on Harriet Tubman, in Spanish and English, along with artwork
& more. This program is co-sponsored by Women Workers for Peace & La
Peña del Bronx.
BACKGROUND TO EVENTS
Monica Moorehead, from the Women's Fightback Network and one of three
coordinators of the Coalition, explained: "International Working
Women's Day, March 8, and the entire month of March provides important
opportunities to reflect on the inspiring roles that women have played in
movements for social justice. Just as importantly, we will show that the
challenges for women come in all forms as the capitalist economic crisis
intensifies. The motto for our coalition is 'Every issue is a
woman's issue,' which means we have the right to housing, education and
health care; childcare, food, union-paying jobs or a livable income; and not
mass incarceration, violence, war and occupation."
Brenda Stokely of the Million Worker March Movement and a Coalition
coordinator described the significance of focusing on Harriet Tubman. "Our
focus on Harriet Tubman is because she dedicated her life to struggle, to
fighting the brutal, vicious system of slavery. She accomplished her own
freedom and the freedom of hundreds of others in life threatening situations.
And she did it with less tools than we have today. We should dedicate ourselves
to claiming power in this country and to fundamentally changing the economic,
political and social system that destroys the lives of so many. We need to
focus on women's involvement 365 days a year, especially to get women to
understand their role in changing society.
Irma Bajar, of FiRE - Filipinas for Rights & Empowerment , the
Vice-Chair of International Relations of GABRIELA USA and another coordinator
of the IWWD Coalition explained, "The International Working Women's
Coalition has been a growing coalition for the past eight years that recognizes
that the crisis of capitalism and imperialism is the root cause of the critical
issues that weigh heavily on women here in NYC and all over the globe thus
creating an inclusive space that encourages women, LGBT folks, community, and
our allies to unite, resist, and fight back to build the women's movement
here in the belly of the beast.
