Organizers behind January’s Women’s March on Washington are ready to strike while the movement is hot.
On “A Day Without a Woman” slated for March 8 — aka International Women’s Day — protesters will underscore women’s economic worth while protesting “the economic injustices women and gender nonconforming people continue to face,” organizers wrote in a recent announcement.
There are three ways for “anyone, anywhere” to take part: women can take the day off from work (both paid and unpaid), people can avoid spending money anywhere except small businesses and those owned by women or minorities, and anyone can wear red (symbolizing “revolutionary love and sacrifice”) that day in solidarity.
“In the same spirit of love and liberation that inspired the Women’s March, we join together in making March 8th A Day Without a Woman, recognizing the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio-economic system — while receiving lower wages and experiencing greater inequities, vulnerability to discrimination, sexual harassment, and job insecurity,” they wrote.
The organizers also anticipate the reality that some women can’t afford to skip a day of work — or might risk being fired for participating.
“Many women in our most vulnerable communities will not have the ability to join the strike, due to economic insecurity,” they said. “We strike for them.”
But for those willing and able, the coordinators have provided a handy form letter designed to explain the strike to employers and ask for their support.
The movement coincides with a previously planned International Women’s Strike — which calls for, among other action items, civil disobedience, workplace strikes, wearing red and a boycott of companies that use sexist ads — on the same day. Organizers of both events say they’re cooperating with one another.
“A Day Without a Woman,” brought to you by the same women who drew half a million people to Washington and inspired global sister marches the day after President Trump’s inauguration, follows “A Day Without Immigrants” held Feb. 16 in cities nationwide.
Yemeni bodega owners in New York also closed down last month to protest Trump’s court-challenged travel ban on seven majority-Muslim nations including Yemen.
