WOMEN WIELD STRENGTH IN STRIKE

Demonstrations around the globe proclaim rights

“A Day Without a Woman” unfolded across the USA on Wednesday in strikes and rallies as organizers called on women to skip work and not spend money to demonstrate their economic strength and political clout.

Women in more than 50 countries hosted similar events to coincide with the U.N.-designated International Women’s Day, according to the event’s Facebook page.

Many rallies served as a venue for anti-Trump slogans and speeches. In Washington, more than 20 Democratic women lawmakers walked out of the Capitol to speak to several hundred spectators gathered as part of the protests.

The lawmakers criticized efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood. They demanded that women receive pay on par with what men receive for performing similar work.

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., told the crowd, “We are resisting President Trump and congressional Republicans and letting them know we will not go back.”

In New York, a statue of a resolute young girl facing Wall Street’s famous Charging Bull was installed to urge companies to increase the number of women on corporate boards.

Tourists and workers swarmed the bronze sculpture titled Fearless Girl by artist Kristen Visbal. Some demonstrators put a knitted pink hat on her — the symbol of the women’s marches that drew millions into the streets worldwide Jan. 21.

“Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference,” a plaque at the statue’s feet reads.

In Washington, a buoyant crowd of hundreds from the Resist Trump/Kill the Gag rally marched up 15th Street to Lafayette Square directly in front of the White House. Chants of “shame on him” and “our lives, our bodies” cut through the air. Many were upset over Trump’s global gag order that bans U.S. funds to foreign groups for abortion services.

Ruth Von Fleckenstein, 76, and husband Fritz, 77, sat on a park bench listening to cheers from the crowd as impassioned speakers talked about women’s rights.

“We have been longtime supporters of Planned Parenthood, and the gag order is messing up programs in lots of countries,” Ruth said. “I am concerned about the effects on the reproductive health of mothers, the welfare of families and women forced to bear children they can’t support.”

Organizers encouraged supporters to wear red, a symbol of “revolutionary love and sacri-

JARRAD HENDERSON, USA TODAY Lindsay Wooten, 33, Hope Hassell, 33, and Melissa Cooley, 31, march to mark International Women’s Day in Washington. Women in more than 50 countries held events calling for equal pay and protection of reproductive rights.

MARK LENNIHAN, AP Fearless Girl faces Wall Street’s bull in New York. State Street Global Advisors wants to highlight efforts to get more women on corporate boards.