Vancouver's first International Women’s Day March is happening this weekend
FEATURED ON THE LISTED GUIDE
International Women’s Day (IWD), a global day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, is just around the corner on Wednesday, March 8.
To help amplify women’s voices even further, a group of six SFU undergraduate and graduate students have come together to organize the city’s first IWD march this weekend.
Vancouver International Women’s Day March, organized with the support of SFU Women’s Centre and the Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies department, will take place on Sunday, March 5, starting in šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square, also known as the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Yasmin Vejs Simsek, the chair of the organizing committee for the Vancouver IWD March, says that everyone is welcome to participate and that they hope for a big turnout.
View this post on Instagram
- You might also like:
- Black community, identity, and power celebrated in new touring exhibition (PHOTOS)
- Foodstock: Spring music festival returns to raise funds for the food bank
- Meet Nature's Ninjas at Vancouver Aquarium's all-new interactive exhibit
“Local community leaders, student groups, activists, and any individual of any gender and non-gender conforming. As long as they do not spread hate and are inclusive, we welcome allies as much as self-identifying women,” said Simsek in an interview with Daily Hive.
Simsek and her fellow SFU students – Karissa Ketter, Maria Kouhi, Megan Bobetsis, Nidhi Ghelani, and Spencer Lee – were inspired to organize the march by the injustices they see around the world and close to home.
The organizers of the Vancouver International Women’s Day March/Submitted
“As a woman of Turkish heritage, it’s important for me to fight for the women suffering there as well as celebrate their incredible resilience to the violence they face,” explained Simsek, a master’s student in Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at SFU. “Many of the international students are used to going to the IWD marches back home and were confused as to why it wasn’t happening in Vancouver. Especially when we have an actual epidemic of violence against Indigenous Women.
“I want to also raise awareness about this tragedy on IWD and show that this is an international issue that should be fought. Femicide is a global atrocity, and it is happening right at our doorstep – we all need to care and do everything in our power to fight it.”
The Vancouver IWD March will begin at 12 pm at šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square with an Indigenous welcome ceremony led by Jaylene McRae, described by Simsek as a proud Two-Spirit, sober Indigenous Trans woman and leader within the LGBTQ2S+ and recovery community.
Jaylene McRae/Instagram
Other speakers slated for the event include Joyce Arthur, Executive Director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, Dr. Jen Marchbank, an SFU professor who’s done extensive research on gendered violence and the LGBTQIA2S+ community and Nazanin Moghadami from the Hiwa Collective. There will also be a performance by the Solidarity Notes Labour Choir.
Solidarity Notes Labour Choir/Facebook
“We are working hard to make this a safe space for the different intersections of women, and no hate speech or exclusion will be tolerated,” said Simsek, who also works as the co-coordinator of the Surrey Pride Festival. “Attendees will experience solidarity, compassion and support in a space where they feel valued and heard.
“The day will be centred around intersectional feminism, as that is the only way we know how. My struggle will never be the same as your struggle due to an intersectional number of reasons, and you might be struggling against bigger barriers than me. By acknowledging this, we can appreciate each other’s different battles in the world, we are able to help each other through it, and we are able to unite as women.”
The organizers of the Vancouver International Women’s Day March/Submitted
The march will follow the speeches, starting at approximately 2 pm at the šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square; the march will walk up Howe Street until a right turn on Helmcken Street. The 1.5 km route will then turn right on Hornby Street until returning to Vancouver Art Gallery’s North Plaza.
“Vancouver is a very international city, and we have diasporas of women from just about everywhere. So it’s important that they have a place to be heard too,” shared Simsek. “We have the human right to protest here, and with so many injustices worldwide, isn’t it our duty to do what others aren’t able to do? What others have been imprisoned for?
“There are women in Vancouver who can’t safely protest in their home countries, and they should have the option to do so here. Hopefully, people will be able to connect with one another and encourage women to support women. Together we are stronger.”
Vancouver International Women’s Day March
When: March 5, 2023
Time: 12 to 4 pm
Where: šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square – 850 W Georgia Street, Vancouver
Cost: Free
Follow Channels and Categories