City, nonprofits commemorate International Women’s Day

The city of Santa Clarita recognized March 8 as International Women’s Day, noting that it “is a call to action for accelerating women’s equality — a day to inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness about discrimination, and encourage and mobilize all people to imagine a gender-equal world where we create a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment.”

The Zonta Club of Santa Clarita Valley, together with Soroptimist of Greater Santa Clarita Valley and Soroptimist International of Valencia, accepted the proclamation and joined with the city of Santa Clarita to “inspire inclusion” as the organizations strive to further efforts for women’s rights and gender equality.

Zonta President Nicole Miller thanked the city of Santa Clarita for the honor and for “recognizing the collective impact of the three clubs, and the difference we are making for women locally,” according to a news release from Zonta.

Zonta International joins International Women’s Day and the global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

The Zonta community also marks March 8 as Zonta Rose Day, a time to reflect on past achievements and honor the current efforts of individuals working toward gender equity.

The 2022 Sustainable Development Goals Gender Index found that not one country is on track to attain gender equality by 2030, the Zonta release said, adding that the Global Gender Gap 2023 report estimates that, at the current rate of progress, it will take 131 years to reach full parity.

This year’s International Women’s Day global campaign theme is “#Inspireinclusion — when we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment.”