USA TODAY International Edition
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 Fear
less 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-
fice,” even if they couldn’t participate directly.
“When millions of us stood together in January, we saw clearly that our army of love greatly outnumbers that of fear, greed and hatred,” organizers said on their website. “Let’s raise our voices together again, to say that women’s rights are human rights, regardless of a woman’s race, ethnicity, religion, immigration status, sexual identity, gender expression, economic status, age or disability.”
According to the U. S. Census, women make up more than 47% of the workforce and are dominant among registered nurses, dental assistants, cashiers, accountants and pharmacists, the Associated Press reported. They make up at least a third of physicians and surgeons and the same with lawyers and judges. Women represent 55% of all college students.
American women earn 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. The median income for women was $ 40,742 in 2015, compared with $ 51,212 for men, according to Census data.
Spokeswoman Cassady Fendlay said organizers found inspiration in the “Day Without Immigrants” protests last month. “We provide all this value and keep the system going and receive unequal benefits from it,” she said.
Findlay said it is important for white women to stand in solidarity with minority women.
“Throughout history, the strikes that have the biggest impact are the ones when people who are already the target of oppression participate,” she said. “It’s when women of all backgrounds strike and stand together that we’re really going to see the impact.”
In Maryland, Prince George’s County schools closed after about 1,700 teachers and 30% of its transportation staff requested leave for the day. “We cannot transport students and provide safe, productive learning environments without adequate staff,” the school district said in a statement.
Public schools closed in Alexandria, Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, along with Chapel Hill- Carrboro Schools in North Carolina.
In Washington, Barbara and John Balducci, visiting the nation’s capital from Atlanta, arrived early, sporting red at Freedom Plaza — the gathering point for a women’s rally.
Barbara, who marched in January in Providence, said the couple felt compelled to participate. From abortion to health care to women’s rights — “all of it” is a concern under the Trump administration, she said.
“We wouldn’t be so angry if Trump was doing something more positive,” she said. “We see the country more divided than ever.”
Sally Kline was protesting many things, but the global gag rule Trump signed on Day 3 of his presidency was a high priority.
“With a stroke of a pen, he led to the death of thousands of women,” she said, noting the rule’s impact on health care. “Just having a baby in other parts of the world is a life- threatening phenomenon.”
In Knoxville, the Women’s March Coalition of East Tennessee encouraged participants at a downtown rally at the women’s suffrage statue on Market Square to wear red and share names and stories of inspirational women on the coalition’s “Wall of SHE roes,” according to a post on the coalition’s website.
In Los Angeles, about 2,000 people turned out at the start of a rally, according to Gina Belafonte, the co- organizer. Sporting signs reading, “I am woman, hear me roar,” and “Resist,” many women wore pink hats, listened to speakers and danced to music outside City Hall.
Lindsay Feldman took the day off her job as an attorney to “be here for the women who can’t take the day off from their families, and it’s important our absence was felt in the workplace.”
Mikiko Convis, who works for the Los Angeles movie trailer firm The Big Picture, was there with her co- workers, who all got the day off from her boss. “He said to take a paid day off — he doesn’t agree with what’s going on and wanted their solidarity and support for us.”
In Providence, a demonstration left the municipal court without enough staff.
Lovely Monkey Tattoo, a woman- owned tattoo parlor in Whitmore Lake, Mich., offered female- centric tattoos with messages such as “Nevertheless, She Persisted” for $ 50 to $ 100, the proceeds going to the Ann Arbor chapter of Planned Parenthood.
In Puerto Rico, more than 100 women clad in purple T- shirts blocked one of the island’s main highways as they linked arms and marched through the capital of San Juan at dawn.
The group clutched large purple flags emblazoned with the female symbol and used bullhorns to decry chauvinism and demand more reproductive rights as nearby drivers honked.
On Twitter, Trump asked followers to join him in “honoring the critical role of women” in the USA and around the world. He tweeted that he has “tremendous respect for women and the many roles they serve that are vital to the fabric of our society and our economy.”
Ivanka Trump echoed her father’s sentiments, tweeting, “Today, we celebrate women and are reminded of our collective voice and the powerful impact we have on our societies and economies.”
Regarding the rallies, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said, “We want to recognize the contributions that women make to our businesses, to our families, to our economy, to our society,” he said. “It’s a free country. Peo- ple have a right to express themselves, but I think that we should on a daily basis ... appreciate the contributions that women make in all those categories.”
At the White House, first lady Melania Trump hosted a luncheon. None of the White House’s female staffers skipped work.
The United Nations’ secretarygeneral said the effective way to protect the rights of women is by prioritizing female empowerment. Antonio Guterres, in Nairobi on an official visit, said priority should be given for the “full presence of women” in government institutions, political systems and business, among other aspects of society.
Guterres said that when women have a full presence in society, development will be stronger, peace will be easier to maintain, and human rights will be better protected.
In Moscow, four activists who sneaked onto Kremlin grounds were arrested, along with two reporters and a photographer for the newspaper Novaya Gazeta. The demonstrators carried signs reading, “Men out of the Kremlin” and “All Power — women,” according to the newspaper.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved a fiveyear national action plan supporting women’s interests.
“We wouldn’t be so angry if Trump was doing something more positive.” Barbara Balducci, visiting Washington from Atlanta