Pittsburgh Celebrates International Women's Day
International Women's Day, traditionally a day of activism focused on the
struggles of poor and working women, as well as the accomplishments of women who
have worked for social and economic justice, is designated in many countries and
the United Nations as a national holiday. The day is rooted in the
centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing
with men, but was first observed by the Socialist Party of America in the United
States on February, 28, 1909. According to the UN's official website, women
continued to celebrate it on the last Sunday of February
through 1913.
Pittsburgh celebrated International Women's Day this year at the Waldorf School
in Friendship on the evening of March 6 with performances, films, poetry, a
silent auction, a variety of children's activities. Vendors, a portion of whose
proceeds went to the Women's Resource Center (WRC), set up shop in the Forest
Garden, and a plethora of organizations and businesses sponsored the event and
donated food. For the second year in a row, the Women's Resource Center
distributed the first edition of the Women's
Resource Directory, which they describe as a collection of "over 250 social
service, educational, healthcare, recreational, spiritual and other woman and
girl-friendly resources." The Directory will be published every other year
and aims encompass a broad spectrum of organizations in the Pittsburgh women's
community.
The Women's Resource Center is a Pittsburgh organization whose mission is "to
provide women and girls with the tools, space and resources they need to
generate progressive social change and equality." Although it closed its
doors in East Liberty recently, all are invited and to help decide the future of
this center on Saturday, March 27 at 11:00 a.m. at Café Bliss, on Penn Avenue
near Braddock in Point Breeze. The goal of the meeting will be to determine how
much support and energy exists for a WRC in Pittsburgh.
Currently, the WRC is continuing some of its projects in at the Multi-Tool,
located at 724 Wood Street in Wilkinsburg until the end of May.
The celebration featured performances by woman artists of diverse ages and
backgrounds working in mediums that included song, dance, instrumental music and
stand-up comedy. Particularly striking was a performance by the Pittsburgh
Black Theater Dance Company, a group of six young women described as "a
multi-racial company" that does "pieces in the Black tradition."
Another highlight was the Wimmin's Renaissance Drumming Circle, a group of women
who played a series of traditional and modern drum rhythms that had many members
of the audience on their feet and dancing.
As she introduced comedian Gab Bonesso, MC Bethany Meisberger reminded the
audience of the March for Women's Lives in Washington D.C. this April 25.
This event is sponsored by seven national groups, who are calling for a massive
demonstration for "reproductive freedom and justice for all women," according to
www.marchforwomen.org. All were
invited to gather at the National Mall for the rally and march.
The room across the hall from the performances featured an open mike poetry
reading, and showings of films that were sometimes a stark reminder of the need
to continue the fight for women's civil rights, choices, and lives. In
Celebration of Women was a collection of short films by women. It seemed
to be an eclectic combination; in a few minutes it drifted from a surreal poetic
black and white film to riffs on mid - twentieth century advertising culture
that link stereo-typical ideas of femininity and consumerism. The other feature
film, Motherless, was a documentary that featured the personal stories of three
women and one man whose mothers died as a result of illegal abortions in 1929,
1950, and 1960. The stories of these particular families were interwoven
with a broader historical perspective on women's health, gender dynamics in
society, and the medical consequences of illegal abortions in early and
mid-twentieth century America.
- Patricia Lietz and Toni Bartone
Pittsburgh Black Theater Dance Ensemble performs at International
Women's Day. (Photo by Patricia Lietz)
For more information:
Women's Resource Center 724 Wood St., Wilkinsburg 412-247-9639.
wrcpittsburgh@hotmail.com
www.wrcpgh.org
March for Women's Lives:
www.marchforwomen.org.
Transportation from Pittsburgh to the March:
www.pghmarchforwomenslives.org