City Council Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11) and the majority female-led Council, unanimously voted to recognize March 8th as International Women’s Day at a Council meeting last month. The Council will be hosting an event tomorrow, Friday, March 8, beginning at 6:00 PM on the third floor of City Hall in celebration of International Women’s Day, whos 2019 theme is #BalanceforBetter.
This is Harris’ second annual event to honor Women in Service, and it will begin with brief welcome remarks from Senator Jack Reed, Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, and City Council President Sabina Matos (Ward 15).
Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris said, “I’m thrilled to be partnering with SistaFireRI once again to bring the community together to celebrate International Women’s Day. It is our goal to bring both women and men together for a discussion on how we can better build a gender-balanced world. I hope that by sharing stories of our achievements and our failures, as women and men, we can all learn from our unique experiences.”
“I’m honored to serve with my colleagues who understand how important International Women’s Day is,” stated City Council President Sabina Matos. “Regardless of gender, it is important for each of us to understand how gender-balance can make stronger bonds and stronger communities.”
Councilwoman Rachel Miller, who helped plan this year’s event stated, “International Women’s Day is an opportunity to honor and celebrate all who identify as women in our community, but it’s also a call to action. We recognize that even in the conversation about gender equity, some communities face bigger barriers than others. Women of color and trans women face social and economic violence- like the attack on a trans couple in my neighborhood earlier this year. We can advocate for gender-balance by demanding a world that respects the integrity, safety, and health of all women in our community.”
The City Council’s International Women’s Day Celebration will take place on the third floor of City Hall, and will incorporate group discussions, and direct dialogue on how we can create a better balance not just in the workplace, but in all aspects of our society. It has been planned in conjunction with community groups including SistaFireRI, Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education (ARISE), and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and is free and open to the public.
About International Women’s Day:
International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
No one government, NGO, charity, corporation, academic institution, women’s network or media hub is solely responsible for International Women’s Day. Many organizations declare an annual IWD theme that supports their specific agenda or cause, and some of these are adopted more widely with relevance than others. International Women’s Day is a collective day of global celebration and a call for gender parity.
International Women’s Day is all about unity, celebration, reflection, advocacy, and action – whatever that looks like globally at a local level. But one thing is for sure, International Women’s Day has been occurring for well over a century – and continues to grow from strength to strength. Learn about the values that guide IWD’s ethos.
