People of all ages and ethnicities gathered in Washington Square Park Wednesday afternoon for a rally in conjunction with International Women’s Day and the International Women’s Strike.
New School students were among the crowd gathered on the sunny, spring-like day to rally for women’s empowerment and equality.
“I’m here so I can be a part of something bigger than myself,” said Bennett Donine, a Global Studies major at Lang. As far as what’s next, she said she’s “going to stay involved and find more events like this one.”
Like the January 21 Women’s March, the rally was festive in spirit, but not particularly noisy or raucous. There was no shouting and no aggression. One sign read, “I am PROtesting not BROtesting.” There was no chanting until the rally began marching downtown towards City Hall. Although there was a significant police presence, many were wandering around with hats off and coffee cups in hand.
Many people wore red as a symbol of “revolutionary love and sacrifice,” according to the event’s organizers.
The first International Women’s Day was held in February of 1909. Women took to the streets of New York to protest labor issues and voting rights. The issues from 1909 were not too far off from what women are fighting for today.
Many of the signs in Washington Square Park on Wednesday demanded “equal pay for equal work.” Also on this day, women were encouraged to stay home from work and not spend money anywhere but women-owned businesses. The strike, “A Day Without a Woman,” was organized to demonstrate how imperative women are to the economic system.
Other signs peppered the crowd that criticized the American Health Care Act that Republican lawmakers unveiled earlier this week. One sign read, “Don’t take away our care!” The legislation threatens to defund Planned Parenthood for one fiscal year unless they discontinue providing abortions.
After the organizers made an brief introduction, two female musicians opened the rally with traditional Mexican folk songs. As they sang, they changed all of the pronouns in the songs from “he” to “she.” Following the musical performances, leaders spoke from the immigrants rights groups and labor unions who organized the rally, like the American Indian Law Alliance and the Yemeni Bodega Strike organizers.
Several classes at The New School were cancelled or held as optional attendance, with the administration encouraging professors to excuse absences of students who were participating in the strike.
Some students decided to stay in class. Lang freshman, Sadie Glenn, said she did not attend this particular rally because, with midterms fast approaching, she could not afford to miss a class.
The protest continued into the evening. As the sun set, the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center were lit in magenta in solidarity with women.
Photos by Hannah Emmert.