Tacoma, WA – Over 150 people gathered outside the Federal Courthouse in Tacoma, Washington on March 22 to rally for women in honor of International Women’s Month. Under the slogan “Stand up, fight back!” community members from many of the 16 endorsing organizations gave speeches addressing topics of indigenous sovereignty, Palestinian liberation and immigrant rights as they pertain to women.

The rally began with chants like “From Palestine to Mexico, these border walls have got to go!” and “When immigrants’ rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Eugenia Cascante from Pierce County Immigration Alliance spoke about her experience as an immigrant and mother, saying, “Attacks on immigrant and migrant women aren’t new. For generations, this system has ensured we are pushed to the back of the line, that we are ushered to the sidelines and live in the shadows.”

Amirah Haris, a union organizer with SEIU 775 and Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America said, “As our nation's leaders appear to roll back progress on gender and racial rights, it is more important than ever to study the immense contributions and leadership of Black women throughout history, especially in the struggle for workers' rights.”

Haris was not the only union proud person in attendance. IAM, Teamsters, UFCW, and AFSCME rank-and-file were represented as well.

Talison Crosby from Teamster Local 174 and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “The fight for women’s rights doesn’t end at the U.S. borders. As of this week, Israel has resumed its genocidal war against the people of Palestine. The women of Palestine, immigrant women, Black, trans and native women all face increased oppression under Trump and the system he represents.”

Crosby added, “Join us in uniting Black people, Chicanos and indigenous people with the working class movement in the only strategic alliance capable of overthrowing the system that facilitates the oppression of women.”

Dozens of homemade signs were waved the air as speeches ended and attendees began a picket line outside the courthouse, chanting “One struggle, one fight, Palestine and women’s rights!” Music, chanting and marching filled the plaza.

“This is the fight of the average person. Congress isn’t coming to save us, there is no superhero. It’s the action of the average person with a moral compass that will change this country for the better,” Cascante concluded. “Our ancestors have shown us how to do this, but it’s up to us to make it happen. We are the leaders we have been looking for.”

#TacomaWA #WA #WomensMovement

Baton Rouge, LA – On March 10, Louisiana State University (LSU) students and Baton Rouge community members rallied on LSU’s campus in Free Speech Alley for International Women’s Day.

In light of Trump's attacks on immigrants, one of the demands put forth by students was to put an end to the mass deportations and family separations. Students also called on the LSU administration to declare the university a sanctuary campus.

Lauren Roberie of Students for a Democratic Society at LSU said, “If Trump was truly pro-life, he would not consistently dehumanize and denigrate the undocumented American population. We have to continue to condemn these inhumane actions and urge LSU to stop complying with ICE.”

One of Trump’s many targets in academia have been diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. His administration is forcing universities to remove any DEI statements from their policies or lose all federal funding. “Diversity equity and inclusion is now a cover term for Black,” said Laramie Griffin of Evolve Louisiana, highlighting the racist origins and consequences of these attacks on universities and workplaces.

DEI erasure has also made its way to LSU. Library faculty were forced to remove any webpage with the word “diversity,” including articles on ecological biodiversity. Additionally, some African culture clubs were told members are not allowed to wear their organization’s emblems at graduation.

As protesters chanted, they occupied Echo Circle in Free Speech Alley and demanded the LSU administration not comply with Trump’s orders. Organizers at the rally declared that the people of Baton Rouge will continue to fight back against Trump’s attacks and defend women and queer rights.

#BatonRougeLA #LA #StudentMovement #WomensMovement #SDS #EvolveLouisiana

Santa Ana, CA – On March 8, over 80 people gathered at Santa Ana’s Memorial Park to rally for International Women’s Day. The attendees raised flags and signs in support of LGBTQ rights, Palestinian liberation, and reproductive rights.

The crowd erupted in chants of “When women’s rights are under attack what do we do? Stand up! Fight back!” and “Mujeres unidas jamas seran vencidas!” as emcee and Community Service Organization Orange County (CSO OC) member, Rain Mendoza, kicked off the rally.

Mendoza opened the event by saying, “It is important for us to continue commemorating this day as we continue to fight for our rights and for our lives. That is why you will always find us, working-class women and queer people, in the heart of the struggle.”

The stage was lined with signs called for supporting the women of Gaza, stopping the deportation of mothers, and protecting trans rights. Erika Armenta, wife of Noe Rodriguez, who was killed by the Santa Ana Police Department on December 1, 2024 spoke about his murder. Armenta stated, “Since his life was taken, I have to act as a mother and father to my daughters. They will never see their father again because the Santa Ana police chose violence instead of de-escalation.”

Armenta continued, “When you look at the families fighting for justice across the country, you will see wives, daughters, mothers, sisters. We are left to pick up the pieces of police killings. We are left to balance being mothers and fighters for justice.”

Armenta also raised her demands for the unedited police report and the body cam footage of Rodriguez’s killing to be released, along with new police policies of de-escalation and bilingual instructions from officers. She has been asking SAPD for the report since his killing and they have not given it to her. Rodriguez spoke only Spanish, but SAPD gave orders only in English and shot him over 30 times. CSO OC is supporting her with these demands as a part of their 24/48 Police Accountability campaign.

Maria Torres from Nuestras Manos started with “Arriba las mujeres!” She spoke about being a mother to three wonderful children and being an organizer for domestic workers for more than 25 years.

Torres stated, “I am a leader and community organizer. I am a proud member of Nuestras Manos. We are here to help you with any situation you may be dealing with your employer, like wage theft or any other issue. We will walk with you through the issue and teach you your rights as a worker.” She read a poem dedicated to women field workers, saying that she wanted to read it to honor women field workers who, like her grandmother, barely learned how to read or write. She ended with “Fuck you Trump, we are here, and we are not going anywhere!”

FRSO’s speaker, Diana Terreros, then spoke on Trump’s attack on women and trans rights through executive orders and court cases that eradicate reproductive healthcare for women, narrowly define sex and gender and ban trans women from women’s sports. She linked these actions to the ruling class defending their interests as capitalists: “The U.S. ruling class will continue to repress and punish anything that does not fit into the patriarchal, heterosexual nuclear family model that is essential to capitalism. We cannot rid the world of patriarchy and LGBTQ oppression while there is still a ruling class to benefit from it.” With a rallying call to the attendees, she concluded “the path forward for true women’s liberation, true LGBTQ liberation, and an end to national oppression is socialist revolution!”

Speaking on the Trump administration's attacks on trans women and trans rights, Michelle Darmary from Alianza Translatinx said that these policies “create a climate of fear where every step outside feels like a perilous journey.” She stated, “They may try to bury us, but they do not know that we are seeds, seeds planted in the fertile soil of resistance, watered by the tears of our ancestors, nourished by our unwavering love of our community, we will rise.” She ended with a powerful stance as a trans woman. “We will not be silenced, we will not be erased, we will not be denied, we are women, we are trans and we are here to stay.”

Then, Folk for Falastin, who strive to embody the Palestinian resistance through the preservation of their culture, gave a powerful and beautiful musical performance interspersed by chants of “Free! Free! Palestine!”

Manaal Subhani from CSO OC spoke on immigration by saying that the state needs immigrants as a labor force, but “immigrants cannot be reduced to workers for the United States. Immigrants contribute to innovation, culture and society. Immigrants are people, that’s why they matter! That’s it.” Subhani also spoke on the work of the Orange County Rapid Response Network, which significantly reduced the number of transfers from county jails to ICE custody, from 492 people in 2019 to just 17 in 2022, adding, “this is what we can do when we act united for change.”

The rally presented a strong call of solidarity among the different areas of struggle for women’s liberation. CSO OC will continue to fight for Chicana liberation through the fronts of community control of the police and immigration. Follow them on Instagram at cso.oc, Facebook at Orange County CSO, or reach them through email at orangecountycso@gmail.com.

The event was organized by CSO OC and featured speakers from the domestic workers group, Nuestras Manos, Orange County’s first trans-led organization; Alianza Translatinx, Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and CSO OC along with a musical performance from Folk for Falastin. Resources and know your rights cards were shared at a table by OC Rapid Response Network.

#SantaAnaCA #CA #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #CSOOC

Los Angeles, CA – On March 8, activists from Centro CSO and Freedom Road Socialist Organization met up in Boyle Heights for their eighth annual celebration marking International Women’s Day. This year’s event featured a panel with speakers from different areas of work that Centro CSO is focused on such as immigration, education, and police brutality, as well as a labor activist from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and a keynote speaker from the LAUSD school board.

The event was held at Casa 0101, a local theater in Boyle Heights. The speakers shared how they got involved in activism, and what it’s like to be women fighting for a cause like education or working in the labor movement.

Amanda Diaz Sanchez, an immigrant rights activist with Centro CSO said, “As we fight for immigrant rights, being a woman in the movement means always having to recenter women’s issues. In our movement, reproductive justice and paid family leave are always seen as separate issues, but being a woman who has experienced these issues means bringing that back and connecting the dots to other things that are happening to us.”

Hannah Keith, a shop steward and trade union activist out of UPS Olympic spoke out about the discrimination she faces as a trans woman, saying, “There are a lot of coworkers who have a problem with the way that I am, but they’ll still come to me for help as a shop steward. And I have no problem helping them, because I know my co-workers who are uncomfortable with me being trans aren’t the enemy, it’s the supervisors, but in order for me to help them confront the boss I have to meet them where they’re at.”

After the panelists concluded their portion of the event, Dr. Rocio Rivas, an LAUSD school board member, gave the keynote speech for the event. She spoke about her upbringing, and how public education was something she fell in love with at a young age, saying “Education can be a tool for escaping oppression. They wanted to keep us ignorant, not giving us the education we deserved. That was the beginning of my activism.” She went on to say, “When we have this knowledge, we know how to fight back against what they’ve been doing to our people for centuries.”

When asked about the event, Juliana Regalado, an activist with Centro CSO and the emcee for the evening, said, “It’s important to celebrate women’s contributions and achievements throughout history because it shows us how far we’ve come and what work still needs to be done. This was an excellent event, and it felt good celebrating and uplifting a few of the many strong women I organize with.”

#LosAngelesCA #CA #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #CentroCSO #FRSO

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, March 8, about 70 people gathered in Lafayette Square in downtown New Orleans in honor of this year’s International Women’s Day.

The crowd rallied around a banner demanding “Protect women’s and trans rights! From Palestine to Mexico, end all family separations!” Several speakers from grassroots movements discussed the urgency of gender liberation and the need to carry on the legacy of resistance from the revolutionary women of the past.

Molly Frayle, a transgender activist with the Queer and Trans Community Action Project, spoke about how the holiday was organized first by working-class socialist women in the United States and Germany, and historically celebrated striking workers who sparked the February Revolution in Russia in 1917.

“They got into the streets, and they started marching,” Frayle said. “It was that very day the Russian revolution started. A whole country had a revolution because women stood up! They won the right to vote, abortion on demand, the right to divorce without their husbands permission! All that to say when we fight, we win!”

After more speeches, the crowd took to the streets. Chants of “Not the church, not the state, women will decide our fate!” and “International Women's Day, time to make the bosses pay!” filled the busy downtown thoroughfare. Protesters carried signs saying “My body, my choice!” and “Stop the deportations now!” as they marched to the Hyatt Regency, where ICE offices are located in New Orleans.

Once there, organizers spoke about the increasing terror and repression that Black, brown and immigrant communities face under the Trump administration. But they also highlighted the power of fighting back in the spirit of revolutionary women.

“Again and again, the ruling class underestimates the power of women's militancy. Women have led the labor movement, striking for real gains. Mothers of victims of police crimes have been fighting for justice – the attacks that we face are meant to intimidate, confuse us, disorganize and demoralize us. Do you know what they do instead? They light a fire in us!” said Antonia Mar, an organizer with the Freedom Road Socialist organization.

With more chants, the protesters took the streets back to Lafayette Square. Once there, organizers emphasized that this action was only the beginning and that these organizations are committed to uniting and struggling against Trump and his reactionary administration every step of the way.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #WomensMovement #LGBTQ #InternationalWomensDay #QTCAP

Orlando, FL – On March 8, the Orlando district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) held a spoken word and trivia fundraiser to commemorate International Women’s Day and gather the Orlando community in the face of recent attacks on women. The slogans raised at the event were “Defend Women’s and Reproductive Rights,” “Stand with the Women of Palestine” and “Stop the Deportations! Keep Families Together.”

Cassia Laham, member of FRSO Orlando, kicked off the event by explaining the history of International Women’s Day and the current situation of women stating, “Today, women of all sectors of society face renewed attacks by the forces of reaction, with Trump and his cabinet full of abusers and women-haters leading the charge against our rights.” She continued, “Just as we fought before, we will fight again!”

Other speakers focused on varied topics. Rasha Mubarak of Florida Palestine Network spoke of the struggle of Palestinian women, and two teenage organizers with the Farmworkers Association of Florida discussed the impact of deportations on their community. Chants of “When immigrant rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” rang throughout the building.

Vanessa Christaldi of the University of Central Florida Students for a Democratic Society read a poem focused on the ownership of one’s body and the inspiration of women resistance fighters. “What is the right way to have a body? And more importantly, what is the right way to assert that I am more than that?” She ended her poem with an acknowledgment that all of the rights women have today, both domestically and internationally are won through struggle, not simply given.

After the speeches, an International Women’s Day-themed trivia, hosted by Sarah of Feisty Trivia, was held with proceeds going to the Palestinian Motherhood Society. The Florida Palestine Network sold tatreez with proceeds also going to the Palestinian Motherhood Society. The total fundraised was announced as $920, with cheers from the audience.

The co-sponsoring organizations were the Florida Palestine Network (FPN), the University of Central Florida Students for a Democratic Society (UCFSDS), The End to Genocide Coalition (ETGC), The Farmworkers Association of Florida (FWAF), and the Palestinian Feminist Collective (PFC). The trivia was led by Sarah of Feisty Trivia, Orlando's Only Female-Owned Trivia Company. The event was a broad multi-generational event filled with community members and organizers commemorating International Women’s Day.

#OrlandoFL #FL #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SDS #FPN #FRSO #ETGC #PFC

Minneapolis, MN – 100 people came out of the cold of Minnesota’s winter and jumped into the fires of the struggle on Friday, March 7. Beginning at 6 p.m., the hall of the Lucy Parson’s Center was packed for an event to mark International Women’s Day.

Key points of discussion centered on the origin of gender oppression, and the role of women as both workers in their workplaces, but also those who have the brunt of work in the home forced upon them. Olivia Crull of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and a founding member of MN Abortion Action Committee, put it concisely: “If we want to understand where gender oppression comes from, we first have to talk about reproductive labor and the family. Reproductive labor is exactly what it sounds like: it reproduces our health and energy outside of work. It includes things like cooking, cleaning, entertaining, childbearing and rearing.”

Crull noted, “Historically and currently, women perform the bulk of this labor so that when their husbands return to work, having been fed and cared for, they’re able to continue producing for their capitalist bosses.” Crull also noted the important role that women play in that reserved group of unemployed workers, being drawn on by the billionaire class to expand workforces in growing industries, and on the other hand being pushed out at the first sign of economic downturn.

Expanding from this discussion, speakers touched on the role of women and the impact of gender oppression in each of their particular struggles. Robynne Johnson, speaking for MNAAC, discussed the importance of the struggle for women’s and reproductive rights to all struggles, stating, “To support reproductive freedom is to support working-class women and gender oppressed people everywhere.”

Johnson continued, “When Roe was overturned in 2022, states across the country began rolling out abortion bans and stealing the right to bodily autonomy from women, and recently we’ve seen legislators introduce dozens of bills aimed at limiting trans people from receiving gender-affirming care. These laws are direct attacks on working and oppressed people. When the ruling class institutes bans against our bodies, they are stealing our autonomy away from us, just like they steal all the wealth that we create.”

Attendees listened with great interest to the words of speakers and after that were invited to participate in a Q&A portion to get deeper into the matter of each of the speakers’ issues, and how the fight for women’s rights and an end to gender oppression connects to other struggles. At the closing of the event, attendees were invited to take part in a march the following day, March 8, to mark the working class holiday of International Women’s Day itself.

The event was spearheaded by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Twin Cities District and included speakers from FRSO as well as: the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J), the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA – CWA), the MN Anti War Committee (AWC), and the MN Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC).

#MinneapolisMN #MN #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #FRSO #TCC4J #MIRAC #MNAAC #AWC #AFACWA

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday, March 8, the Minnesota Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC) and its partners hosted a protest and march on International Women’s Day. The Minneapolis protest drew over 1200 people across generations and justice movements. They filled Mayday Plaza and lined Cedar Avenue, holding signs in support of reproductive, trans rights and immigrant rights. Other signs included slogans critical of President Trump, Elon Musk, and the current U.S. government.

The protest’s goal was to uplift the women of the working class, protect reproductive rights, defend the trans community, and stand with Minnesota’s immigrant communities under attack.

International Women’s Day is a global holiday fueled by the collective efforts of women around the world. It identifies the many struggles that working women face, from low wages and discrimination to sexual violence and restrictions on bodily autonomy, bringing people together to resist. Every year since its formation, MNAAC has participated in local events for International Women’s Day, but this is the first year that the organization brought people into the streets for a march.

Emcees Siobhan Moore and Natalie Berger kept the crowd energized in between speakers by leading chants, garnering supportive honks from cars passing by the plaza. Cheers and chants called out for reproductive rights, labor rights, immigrant rights, trans rights and more

This was echoed in a speech by Dieu Do, a member of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) who began by highlighting several women who had fought for liberation, including Marsha P. Johnson, Amanda Wing and Roxanne O’Brien.

Do stated, “All of their stories are different, but all the fights are the same because we all know that our collective liberation is rooted in each other. We know when we talk about Black rights, we’re talking about trans liberation. When we’re talking about trans liberation, we’re talking about reproductive rights. When we’re talking about reproductive rights, we’re talking about immigrant rights and human rights.”

Jess Sundin spoke on behalf of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) about the interwoven struggle for women’s rights and labor rights, stating, “Before capitalism, those who bore children did more ‘reproductive labor,’ but it never meant that women only did that, or that this work was less valued, or that men didn’t help.” Sundin continued, “Women and LGBTQ people held places of honor in many cultures. But capitalists changed the rules, and reproductive labor was redefined as ‘not work.’”

Monique Cullars-Doty of Black Lives Matter Minnesota and the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice stated, “I think about the solidarity and the collective pain that we have seen here in America. Indigenous or Mexican brothers and sisters being families are being separated at the border from their families. It is American history. We are now experiencing what it means to have your white privilege taken from you because you are not the wealthiest of the world. So, it is a time of awakening where we can realize we have more in common than we do different.”

Cullars-Doty ended her speech, “If someone wants to do whatever they want to do and it’s not affecting you, mind your business, she said. “No human is illegal. Mind your businesses. And when I say mind your business, I mean the business of liberation as one. That is our business. Liberation and equality for all.”

Representing the Minnesota Federation of Teachers was their president, Marcia Howard. She began her speech noting that over half of the U.S. population is women. Howard stated, “Black liberation is for the liberation of everybody. I’ve been at George Floyd Square for five years and I will jump over my cis-sister for a trans sister any day because I know they’re coming for them first. I want you to think about that now. They’re going to pick on the most vulnerable sisters first. I need you to remember that. And if you ever get even tempted to ignore that – don’t you ever think you aren’t next in line.”

After a series of speeches, the group marched down Riverside Avenue and back, pausing near Augsburg University and the M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center – West Bank. There, they heard from additional speakers including MNAAC’s own Lily Winslow.

“Our government has always laid claim to what we can do with our bodies – which borders our bodies can cross, which essential care our bodies can receive, which bodies are entitled to environmental and economic security – the list goes on,” Winslow said. “In spite of these attacks, we breathe, move, and fight in these bodies.”

Winslow honored the women whose lives were lost to abortion bans: Amber Nicole Thurman, Candi Miller, Josseli Barnica and Neveah Crain. And they invited the crowd to join them in a fight for liberation and also for love.

This rally and march on International Women's Day was organized by MNAAC, with endorsement from Teamsters 638 and speakers from the following organizations: Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, Black Lives Matter Minnesota, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Students for a Democratic Society, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice, Families Against Military Madness, Women Against Military Madness, Women’s March Minnesota, Taking Back Pride Coalition, and the MN Anti-War Committee. Rank-and-file members of the Minnesota Nurses Association, Unite Here Local 17, Association of Flight Attendants and the Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 12 also spoke at the rally.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #MNAAC

Philadelphia, PA – Drawn into the streets by the Trump administration’s broad attack on women’s and LGBTQ s rights, nearly 1000 protesters marched through Center City for International Women’s Day on March 8. The march disrupted traffic along the busy shopping district of Rittenhouse Square.

Women and young children held the front of the march with hundreds of handmade signs advocating for abortion rights and equal pay. One woman paraded two cardboard cut-outs of Trump and Elon Musk wearing prison jumpsuits. Shoppers and restaurant-goers crowded the doors and windows to hear chants of “Fuck Trump – go birds!” and “Working women give ‘em hell; it is right to rebel!”

Pausing along the intersections, the speakers covered on a wide range of issues affecting women and LGBTQ people. “For years we have received meager concessions in the form of reformative legislation and temporary ideological change. For my whole life I have seen these ebb and flow, and at times be stripped away fully,” a Freedom Road Socialist Organization member told the crowd, “Time and theory have proven over and over that reform will never be enough. The only option is total revolution, changing our material conditions into a socialist mode of production!”

Koyuki Chen, a member of Refuse Fascism and an organizer of the 2023 IWD march in Philadelphia told the crowd, “In the name of humanity, we refuse to accept the punishing and cruel attacks on women. The overturning of Roe v. Wade put women and girls in medical jeopardy with horrendous mismanaged pregnancies and delayed care to preventable deaths. It was never about abortions but forced motherhood, control, and enslavement of women.”

Pausing at Rittenhouse Square Park for more speeches at sunset, an activist from the International Jewish Labor Bund led the crowd in chants.

Along the marching path, an officer of the Philadelphia Police Department pleaded with the protest leaders to remove the marchers from the street intersection, threatening to disperse the march otherwise. Despite the threat, the protesters began sitting down in the street to hear the remainder of the final speech of the evening, signifying to the police that they would not be moved.

Freedom Road Socialist Organization organized the march in collaboration with groups like Workers World Party, Anakbayan, Philly Pheminists, Democratic Socialists of America and more.

The organizers hope that the large number of attendees, many who did their first protest since the beginning of Trump’s first term, were able to leave the action with new perspectives on the role of monopoly capitalism in perpetuating gender oppression worldwide; that the struggle for the liberation of women is inseparable from the struggle for a socialist revolution.

#PhiladelphiaPA #PA #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay

Washington, DC – On March 8, International Women’s Day, community members and activists gathered at Sankofa Cafe in downtown D.C. for a panel discussion on the struggle for women’s liberation.

The event, hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) DC, featured panelists that represented several sectors of struggle, including women’s rights, immigrant rights, anti-war and international struggles, oppressed nationalities movements, LGBTQ, and trans rights.

The panel featured Terra Martin from the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), Yan Tagalog Maunes of Anakbayan DC (ABDC), a speaker representing Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) DMV, and a trans comrade from FRSO DC. The flier for the event included the slogans “Defend Women’s and Reproductive Rights!” “Stop the Deportations, Keep Families Together!” and “Stand with the Women of Palestine!”

The panel began with chants of “When women’s rights are under attack, what do we do? stand up, fight back!” and “The people, united, will never be defeated!”

Kristen Bonner, the emcee for the event, gave a brief introduction on the history of women’s oppression, before introducing the panelists. The discussion opened with a dialogue on how Trump has affected the struggle for women’s rights, before turning to questions of how to combat this wave of renewed aggression against the people’s movements.

“It’s through the laws being passed that trans people are being oppressed,” said the panelist representing FRSO DC, “it’s because of those laws that all these reactionary tendencies are now being emboldened.”

“We want to avoid a repeat of the feminisms that we saw after the election of the Trump regime in 2016 that focused solely on the interests of white, cisgender bourgeoisie women,” said a member of PYM DMV.

“These movements are all connected intrinsically, they’re all interlinked” said the speaker from FRSO DC, “we need to join one struggle together, through a united front, because when we’re all together, we win.”

“They can’t take all of us out,” Terra Martin representing DCAARPR added, “we’re the village. If we go at them head on, they can’t stop us.”

The panel ended with the Assata Shakur chant and shared calls among the panelists for folks in attendance to get organized.

“My last question for today was going to be ‘What do y’all think is the key takeaway from today?’”

The emcee said in closing, “but I feel that y’all have already answered that resolutely – it’s organize, organize, organize!”

#WashingtonDC #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #FRSO #PYM #NAARPR

Grand Rapids, MI – In the heart of downtown Grand Rapids at Rosa Parks Circle, over 2000 community members gathered around the stage and ice skating rink, March 8, for an International Women’s Day rally. Despite freezing winds, the crowd swelled through the afternoon, culminating in a march past City Hall and federal buildings.

The speakers represented a wide range of movements and backgrounds, but their messages united against President Trump and the Republican agenda. The speakers included Michigan Representative Kristian Grant and organizers from the Institute of Global Education, Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) of Muskegon Community College, GVSU Progressive Student Union, Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and many more.

Among the voices was Emerson Wolfe of the Institute of Global Education and co-chair of Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids, who stated, “War is a women’s issue. But what is happening in Palestine is not a war – it is a genocide against an imprisoned population desperate to care for their families, desperate for a safe home, desperate to survive. Many of us know what it means to care for a family and want a safe and loving home. We are not so different from Palestinians.”

Wolfe also criticized Governor Gretchen Whitmer and her complicity in expanding war profiteers in Michigan, stating, “She is pushing to increase the amount of weapons manufacturing in the state of Michigan. She claims they are good jobs to raise a family on. In reality, she's forcing working-class Michigan families to choose blood money to feed our own children, at the expense of Black and brown children all around the world.”

Jessie Plichta, an organizer with SDS at Muskegon Community College, told the crowd, “It is our neighbors, friends, coworkers and families being targeted. Your task today is to stand up and fight back against these attacks, not because you fear for yourself but because you love your neighbor, because you value healthcare and education.”

Hailey Hentz, the chair of the GVSU Progressive Student Union, said, “If we look at the history that Republicans are trying so hard to discredit, we will vividly see that the reason we are here today celebrating International Women's Day is because of Women who fought back against injustice. These were women who were involved in the Labor and suffrage movements over a century ago, yet we are here fighting to continue the work they pursued so passionately.”

Eager to march, attendees prompted organizers to begin early. Despite harassment by the Grand Rapids Police Department (GRPD), no arrests were made.

GRPD is notorious for brutality on protesters. During the George Floyd uprising, a protest that blocked streets was met with riot police and tear gas. Several activists are still battling felony charges for the use of sound amplification devices, stemming from officers' claim that the megaphones damaged their hearing.

The Women’s March led event, supported by the coalition above, stood as a united front against Trump’s agenda. Energy continued well after the march as hundreds remained to help clean and talk with community organizations tabling at Rosa Parks Circle. Over 2000 community members – children, elders, disabled peoples and allies – mobilized to march through downtown Grand Rapids, their collective roar a defiant answer to threats of repression, and celebrate the history of International Women’s Day.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay

Atlanta, GA – Activists and community members rallied at the Georgia State Capitol on March 8 to celebrate International Women’s Day and to stand against Trump’s attacks. The protest was hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and Atlanta for Palestine and featured speakers from each of the groups.

The rally started off strong with a speech from Asia Kravitz, a member of the Atlanta Alliance. She tied women’s oppression and liberation to the Alliance’s campaign to shut down Fulton County Jail.

“International Women’s Day commemorates the long and hard battles women have fought for their rights to reproductive health, gender equality in the world and workplace,” said Kravitz. “The Atlanta Alliance recognizes that the city of Atlanta and the Fulton County Jail are failing the women forcibly taken under their care by denying them these rights, which has led to women dying in the jail without conviction or trial.”

Osama Mor, a member of Atlanta for Palestine, spoke about the essential role of women within the Palestinian national liberation movement: “We honor the Palestinian women who have been central to mobilizing the masses of our land, across all generations, from the British Mandate and the Nakba, to the First and Second Intifada, to the current moment – where the women of Palestine, continue to uphold our struggle against our oppressor.”

The rally was closed out with a speech from FRSO member David Jones, who stated, “Women have been at the forefront of movements across the globe. Here in the South, mothers fighting for justice for their children are the backbone of the Black liberation movement as they fight for change in the face of police violence, whereas internationally, women in Palestine and the Philippines have lost their lives fighting for liberation in the face of U.S. imperialism.”

Jones continued, “‘Women hold up half the sky’ is not just a slogan, it’s a fact. Without women like Claudia Jones, Leila Khalid and Wilma Tiamzon, the national liberation movements wouldn’t be where they are today. We got to fight like hell not just maintain wins made prior but to secure the wins necessary for our future.”

#AtlantaGA #GA #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay

Tallahassee, FL – Shouts cut through the gray skies outside Florida’s state capitol on March 8, International Women’s Day, as people gathered to mark the new phase in the fight for women’s rights that came with the second Trump administration. Hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) alongside various community organizations, the rally brought out around one hundred people who braved the rain.

Trump's second term promises a new wave of attacks on women, especially on the right to abortion, transgender women's access to gender-affirming care, and protections from discrimination. Florida, with its Republican domination in the state legislature and fiercely far-right Governor Ron DeSantis, forms the front line for much of the GOP's sexist agenda.

“We're at a critical period in history,” said Delilah Pierre from the Tallahassee Community Action Committee. “We're either gonna go forward to a future for all of us, or backwards to a past for the few.”

The decision to rally at the Florida state capitol was particularly relevant. Abortion rights in Florida face a grim future, with DeSantis fiercely defensive of the state's current ban on abortion beyond the first six weeks – a time when many women don't even realize they're pregnant.

A recent attempt to enshrine abortion access in Florida's constitution, the Amendment 4 campaign, won 58% of the vote but was still 2% below the strict 60% threshold to pass.

Many speakers gave their personal experiences with patriarchy and the struggles women face to defend their equality in their schools and workplaces. “While we should be out here for our mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, partners, and friends, I dare you to find your loved ones in the stories of others and to fight for them like they are your own, because we are not free until we are all free,” said JJ Glueck from Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society.

The political system in the U.S. is still unable or unwilling to protect women from ongoing oppression. Many speakers and attendees expressed disillusionment with the two-party system and the power of ultra-rich men like Elon Musk. Joelle Nuñez, member of the FRSO, declared that “this system is not gonna come apart step by step. It's gonna come down in one big blow, because the whole damn system is rotten!”

After the rally, FRSO hosted an International Women’s Day discussion panel and concert at the Blue Tavern. The show featured the talents of local Latina artist-activist duo Isabela and Kristellys, as well as women and trans-led bands Degenerate State and hardtogetaholdof(untilyoucall).

Staring down four more years of right-wing attacks on women's rights and people's movements, organizers in Florida are refusing to sit down or give up. In Tallahassee, and in the cities across the country that joined them on International Women's Day, the people are standing up and fighting back.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #FRSO

Dallas, TX – Despite rainy weather, over 300 participants came out to Civic Garden Park to commemorate International Women's Day. Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) partnered with several organizations to put together the rally and march.

The rally began at 2 p.m. It was emceed by Freedom Road member and student organizer, Seraphine Pecson who began the rally with chants, such as, “Not the church, not the state – women must decide their fate!” and “Half the sky, we hold it up, half the world, we’ve had enough.”

Kyra from the FRSO, told the crowd, “stripping women’s bodily autonomy, tearing down workplace protections against harassment and discrimination, they’re inciting violence against trans people – giving a free pass to bathroom vigilantes, and even though multiple court rulings blocked the executive order, trans women have been transferred to men’s prisons, left to face the worst violence with no escape or end in sight.”

Brinda Gurumurthy from the Young Active Labor Leaders and the Democratic Socialists of America, stated, “I think about teaching, I think about nursing, home health care aides etc., all of these professions fall under the umbrella of care work and our capitalist society expects us to do these jobs without being compensated fairly. I'm a high school math teacher and the phrase we hear a lot is that we do this for the outcome and not the income. But does the outcome pay for the income? Absolutely not.”

Despite the pouring rain the crowd of people mobilized behind a banner that read “Women hold up half the sky.”

Led by Seraphine from Progressive Student Union, the rally became a march circling downtown Dallas with participants chanting. “Stand up with the women of Palestine,” “Stop the deportations keep families together” and “Stand up fight back!”

The march was stopped at the intersection of a busy street, and Ebonee Taylor from National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression – Dallas stated, “Women have always been in the fight alongside the working class to stand up against sexism, exploitation and white supremacy.”

The march stopped again and Jumana Deh from the Dallas Fort Worth Anti-War Committee and CODEPINK-Dallas spoke to the crowd, “I am speaking to you as a nationally oppressed woman indigenous to Palestine.

“We have to remember that International Women’s Day is more than a celebration, it is a struggle. It was forged in 1908, when garment workers took to the streets in New York City to protest the exploitation in sweatshops.

“It was fought for by Claudia Jones, a Black communist who organized during the height of the anti-communist Cold War hysteria, who in 1950, on this day, gave her historic speech that was rooted in the contemporary moment of the class struggle in the long history of the fight for Black liberation, women’s emancipation, peace, and socialism.

“We find stories of resilience from Vo Thi Thang. In 1968 she was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in a prison camp by the U.S.-backed South Vietnamese government. When the judge delivered that harsh verdict? She smiled and faced the judge and calmly said, ‘20 years? Your government won’t last that long.’

“We look for the unwavering spirit and defiance of Palestinian women, like Leila Khaled of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who hijacked an airplane to defy the Zionist Israel, and Ahd Al Tamimi, nicknamed the lioness, a 13-year-old Palestinian activist, who confronted Israeli occupation forces and slapped an IOF soldier across his face.”

The march was led back to Civic Garden Park, with the crowd still in high spirits. The organizers of the march then directed people to a panel on International Women's Day hosted by FRSO at Pan African Connection bookstore.

At 5:30 p.m., 30 people arrived for the panel discussion. It covered a range of topics, from the history of International Women’s Day to the material needs of the present day as well as means to stay connected to the movement.

#DallasTX #TX #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay

Jacksonville, FL – This year’s International Women’s Day was celebrated March 8 by a crowd of nearly 100 people on a day to honor revolutionary and working women, filled with speakers, performances, crafts and good food. Members of the Jacksonville community joined together to remember the struggle of women who have come and fought before us, and to stand with the women continuing that struggle now.

The jam-packed program featured speakers representing a coalition of organizations that emphasized the vital role of women in every movement for change. There were poetry readings, a musical performance, and a Plena performance from members of the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, a Puerto Rican dance and music style historically used as a form of resistance.

The crowd was reminded to stand with the women of Palestine as they resist, in all forms, the occupation of their land.

“Today we recognize and honor Palestinian women for their resilience and the integral part they play in the resistance. We recognize the key role they played historically and still do to this day,” said a member of the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network.

Speaking on incarceration and its effects on Black revolutionary movement, a member of the Jacksonville Community Action Committee noted, “What many do not know is that women leaders of these movements, who were not only integral, but also pivotal to the successes of these movements, were political prisoners as well.”

As the event closed out, attendees chanted, “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido,” along with a recitation of the Assata Shakur chant. While we honor and remember all revolutionary leaders and political prisoners, this International Women’s Day we hold close to us the women who have built movements for change and those continuing that fight, for women hold up half the sky!

#JacksonvilleFL #FL #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay

Tampa, FL – Around 80 people gathered in front of Tampa City Hall on Saturday, March 8, in honor of International Women’s Day and to rally against Trump’s reactionary policies.

The program featured a range of speeches. One speech denounced Trump’s attacks against immigrants, with the crowd chanting, “No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here!” Another speech emphasized the relationship between reproductive rights and LGBTQ rights, condemning Trump’s executive order banning gender affirming care for youth.

The protest was organized by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, with support from Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, the Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and Tampa Activists United.

Once the crowd was at its peak, the protesters marched through downtown Tampa’s tourist-filled streets. The crowd’s anti-Trump chants echoed through downtown.

#TampaFL #FL #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay

Denver, CO – Colorado residents celebrated International Women’s Day, March 8, by showing up to the state Capitol building to protest the Trump administration’s attacks on LGBTQ and women’s rights.

At least 2000 people and 14 different organizations met at the capitol to stand up for women and the queer community, bringing homemade signs with slogans like “Speak up, speak out”, “We will not go back”, and “A woman’s place is in the resistance.” Protesters filled the streets and sidewalks as they marched down Colfax Avenue and into the downtown business district, chanting, “When women’s rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”

Over the past two months, Donald Trump’s administration has attacked undocumented immigrants, disabled people, the queer community, and women. As of March 7, there have been more than 50 executive orders signed since his inauguration that have removed a plethora of protections from these oppressed groups, some of the orders targeting reproductive rights and gender-affirming care for trans people.

“We are seeing countless attacks against women’s rights from Trump and his administration of misogynists,” said Kat Draken, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, during her speech at the rally. “Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, 12 states have passed complete abortion bans, and immigrant women are under attack with ICE raids conducted daily.”

“The Bureau of Prisons records only 22 trans women in women’s prisons; yet they’re attempting to transfer this minority,” stated Eden Heffron-Hanson, a Denver-Aurora Community Action Committee member. “They’re trying to prevent surgeries and hormones for trans prisoners despite only two people having received surgery while in federal custody.”

Despite the stress, anger and frustration due to the Trump administration’s attacks on their wellbeing and safety, millions of Americans are taking the streets nationwide to stand with all oppressed people being targeted by executive orders and legislation.

International Women’s Day alone saw hundreds of thousands of people across the continental United States gathering to defend all women and demand equal rights.

“Though our struggles may be different, we are united in the fight,” said Yoselin Corrales, an organizer with Aurora Unidos CSO. “This fight for liberation and the right to self-determination is a marathon; it is not a sprint.”

Protests against Trump and his reactionary agenda are erupting across the country in response to his continued attacks, with the movement growing daily.

#DenverCO #CO #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay

Austin, TX – On the afternoon of March 8, International Women’s Day, around 400 people rallied in downtown Austin in front of the Texas State Capitol building.

The rally kicked off with co-emcee Minx Leal calling out to the crowd, “All right, are y’all ready to scream?” Met with loud cheers, Leal led the crowd in a round of chants, including “Gay, straight, Black, white, one struggle, one fight!” and “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Greg Abbott go away!”

As the rally continued, strong gusts of wind brought a chill in, but that did not dampen the energy of the crowd. People both young and old, students and families, huddled together to listen to passionate speeches given by Austin students and community members.

Jules Lattimore, of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, gave a speech that received many cheers throughout, stating, “Our system is unable to make real progress. Even when women and LGBTQ+ folks have won legislative victories, millions of women all around the world have been killed by U.S. bombs, starved by U.S. sanctions, suffered under U.S. puppet regimes, shoved into U.S. sweatshops, and exploited and trafficked by wealthy American men. Capitalism is unable to bring about the liberation of women.”

Lattimore continued, “It’s not all doom and gloom, however, and it is not hopeless. International Women’s Day was created not only to expose the dysfunctional evils of capitalism, but to fight for a better world. We need socialism.”

Later in the program, a group of women sang a Mexican song, Canción sin miedo (Song Without Fear), slightly changing the lyrics to honor the women of Palestine, Congo, and all immigrant mothers whose families are threatened by Trump’s call for mass deportations. The crowd cheered as the women sang:

“Que tiemble el Estado, los cielos, las calles,

Que teman los jueces y los judiciales.

Hoy a las mujeres nos quitan la calma.

Nos sembraron miedo, nos crecieron alas.”

(May the State, the sky, the streets tremble,

may the judges and policemen be afraid.

Today, peace is taken away from us women.

They sowed fear in us, we grew wings.)

Co-emcee Aidan Magner, of Austin Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), closed the rally with a call for everyone to continue the struggle by joining an organization, such as SDS, that is fighting back against the many attacks from the Trump administration.

#AustinTX #TX #WomensMovement #StudentMovement #InternationalWomensDay #SDS

Milwaukee, WI – Over 1200 people joined the 4th annual International Women’s Day celebration organized by the Milwaukee IWD Coalition, a broad coalition consisting of numerous grassroots organizations.

This year’s event began with a rally, followed by a brief march to the Milwaukee Turners, an historic building with a progressive socialist history that is located on Vel R. Phillips Avenue, named after a trailblazing civil rights leader from Milwaukee. At the Turners, the event transitioned to a panel discussion with various organizers, and a keynote address by Alondra García, a public school educator and immigrant rights activist.

The celebration began with a rally at Red Arrow Park, also known as Dontre Hamilton Park, and the event’s emcee, Kayla Patterson of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, reminded the crowd that “Dontre’s killing by Milwaukee PD in 2014 sparked a movement led by his mother, Maria Hamilton, and so many other mothers and sisters whose loved ones have been taken away by the police.”

Locating the significance of IWD within the mothers involved in the movement to end police crimes helped weave together the connections across the various movements represented today. Janan Najeeb, co-chair of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine, spoke to the significance of Palestinian women, particularly the mothers, carrying forward the struggle for Palestinian liberation amidst an ongoing genocide.

Once the crowd entered the venue and settled in their seats, García kicked off the program with a keynote address reminding attendees that “there is power in numbers, and we are many. Our voices will not be silenced, and our presence is louder than ever. We will continue to take up the space and make noise.” She echoed Najeeb’s reminder at the rally that “they may be billionaires, but we number in the billions!” This revolutionary spirit to fight back against the current Trump regime and imperialism more broadly resonated throughout the streets and inside the Turners.

The panelists – Carly Klein of Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee; Julie Velazquez of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression; Rhen Lutz of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals Local 5000; Fernanda Jimenez of Comité Sin Fronteras, and Christina Stradwick of the Milwaukee Antiwar Committee – provided perspectives informed by the struggles they’re involved in in order to drive home the point of uniting against a common enemy: imperialism.

The Trump regime is attacking all of our movements, and it will only be by coming together in a broad united front that we will be able to defeat it. Giving into despair or staying off the streets and issuing complaints online will not get us any closer to overthrowing monopoly capitalism. It will take the various movements represented today, coalescing into a broader, more militant movement to deal critical blows to our enemy. This IWD celebration served as a reminder that whether it be in Gaza, on the shopfloor, or in the streets in Milwaukee, the place for women is in the revolution!

#MilwaukeeWI #WI #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #RJAM #NAARPR #Feature

On International Women’s Day: A Salute to the Steadfast Palestinian Woman Standing Against Genocide and Displacement Plans

The Palestinian Woman: A Song of Freedom, Homeland, and Anemones

Our Brave People…

On March 8, the peoples of the world celebrate International Women’s Day in recognition of women’s central role in the journey of liberation and progress, and in appreciation of their long struggles against oppression, injustice, and exploitation. In Palestine, however, this day carries a deeper and more painful dimension, as the Palestinian woman stands at the heart of the confrontation, carrying the banner of steadfastness and resistance against the zionist machine of killing and destruction. She remains on the frontlines—as a fighter, prisoner, martyr, wounded, and as a mother of martyrs—bearing the wounds of the homeland in her heart and igniting the flame of resistance, struggle, and defiance.

Our Proud and Defiant People…

Amid the ongoing zionist genocide against our people in Gaza and the West Bank, the heroism of Palestinian women is evident as they face extermination, killing, displacement, repeated forced migration, and massacres. They fight to survive, to protect their homeland and children, and to uphold their right to live in freedom and dignity.

On this important occasion, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine reaffirms the following:

1. A salute of reverence and admiration to the Palestinian woman who continues to resist on the frontlines—whether in the besieged and bleeding Gaza, making immense sacrifices, in the rebellious West Bank, or in exile and diaspora, standing firm against zionist plans to uproot and displace our people.

2. The necessity of escalating the struggle in all international forums to hold the occupation accountable for its crimes against Palestinian women and to prosecute its leaders in international courts as war criminals who have committed crimes against humanity.

3. Strengthening the role of the Palestinian women’s movement in the battle for national and social liberation and engaging in the resistance structures that support women’s steadfastness and fight against all forms of discrimination and oppression.

4. Unifying women’s efforts on the Arab and international levels to form a global resistance front that exposes the occupation’s crimes and defends Palestinian women’s rights to freedom, dignity, and justice.

Our People…

The Palestinian woman, who has given birth to heroes and raised fighters, is an inseparable part of our people’s struggle for liberation, return, and independence. Therefore, our struggle will continue until the aggression is defeated, the land and its people are freed, and the state of Palestine is established from the river to the sea, with Al-Quds as its capital—until Palestinian women achieve their full rights in a free, democratic society based on liberty, justice, and equality.

Long live the steadfast and fighting Palestinian woman.

Long live March 8 as a day of struggle, defiance, and steadfastness.

Together on the path to freedom and dignity.

#International #Palestine #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay