Purple streamers and tissue paper flowers decorating the space. Female voices singing over the loudspeakers. Students, staff and visitors of various backgrounds and identities joining together to celebrate the same thing: Women. This is what it looked like to celebrate International Women’s Day at the University of Connecticut.
On March 26, the Women’s Center decked out the Student Union ballroom with decorations, flowers and treats to celebrate International Women’s Day, which is marked on the calendar as March 8. The theme for the celebration was “Empowered Harmony,” to highlight the power of community.
The event opened with words from the event organizers, Kayvona Brown, an eighth-semester psychology major and the community engagement coordinator, and Naya Peterson, a sixth-semester psychology major and the programming committee chair. These two mediated the event between activities.
After their welcoming statement, the two young women invited the associate director of the Women’s Center, Kathy Fischer, to the podium. While she acknowledged that this event was late for the calendar date of International Women’s Day, she said that “every day is a day to celebrate women.”
According to Fischer’s brief presentation, International Women’s Day is an official holiday in 27 countries. It was officially recognized by the United Nations in 1977.
Fischer also took time during her presentation to highlight four women activists: Malala Yousafzai, Jackie Bomboma, Sanam Doka Sherpa and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. She highlighted these women to show that “there are many, many lanes for activism.”
After Fischer’s presentation, Brown and Peterson invited attendees to make cards for women in their lives. The Women’s Center provided paper, markers and an array of decorative stickers and decals. Josalyn Munson, a fourth-semester journalism major, wrote a letter to her nana.
“I wanted to remind her that she has done and been through so much and fought so hard to have the life that she’s living,” she said. “I wanted to give her that grace that she’s allowed to be herself and be a woman.”
As participants worked on their letters, the event coordinators handed out pink, red and white carnations to each person.
The event had cupcakes and cookies catered from Zest Fresh Pastry, a women-owned bakery in Stonington, Conn.
Once everyone settled down again, Brown and Peterson introduced the keynote speaker Nasim Basiri. Her presentation focused on dismantling the “one size fits all” mindset in feminism as she talked about her experiences growing up as a feminist in Iran.
The event ended with closing remarks from Elise Delacruz, the interim director of the Women’s Center. She echoed the sentiment that women should be celebrated every day.
Johnson will visit UConn on Monday, March 31 to discuss her book “All We Can Save,” and ways to “create the best possible climate future,” as stated in a post on the Women’s Center’s Instagram. The event will take place at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Theater. Johnson will be selling and signing books afterward.