FFWD Weekly
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News
by Maureen McNameeThe World March of Women 2000 is drawing to a close this month, but the fight against oppression will continue one step at a time. The march for hope, equality, peace and democracy started on International Women’s Day, March 8, and included women from 157 countries and territories. In Canada, the march will end October 15 with a rally in Ottawa, followed by a world rally on October 17, the International Day for the Elimination of Poverty, at a United Nations session in New York.
Brenda Wadey, the Alberta representative for the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, says the World March has helped rebuild and re-energize the women’s community, which is important for the challenges ahead.
"We see the World march as just a beginning point – it’s beginning for change," she says.
That change is necessary, Wadey explains, because more women are living in poverty, and violence against women is not decreasing. "What we’ve seen really is a move backwards, I think, in recent years."
The World March of Women 2000 was one of the first steps toward bringing about that change, and the next will be presenting a list of demands on how to achieve it. Calgary women are invited to join in a day of celebration, education and creativity on Saturday, October 14, during which they will explore the issues and discuss their demands for resolving them.
Organizer Julie Roberts says the event, titled Changing the World: No Small Feet, will include three afternoon workshops focusing on poverty, violence and heterosexism.
"Throughout the day we’ll be making banners with footprints on them and ... a lot of them have demands written and sewn onto them," she adds. "Part of each workshop will be dedicated to creating demands from what we’ve learned."
However, she says it’s important that the event doesn’t only dwell on the negative, and that women feel inspired to keep the momentum of the march going. In that vein, there will also be a women’s art exhibit, display tables, a drumming workshop, a presentation on healing by keynote Lorraine Sinclair of the Mother Earth Healing Society in Edmonton, and a circle dance, followed by music and dancing.
"The main intent of the day is to celebrate women and to celebrate what we’ve come to at this point," she explains. "World March of Women is about ending poverty and violence against women, but it’s also about celebrating ourselves....
"There’s been a lot of groups and committees formed all over the world that will continue to work on the issues."
The World March of Women celebration runs from 11:30 a.m. to midnight at the Bridgeland Riverside Community Hall (919 McDougal Road N.E.). Anyone wishing to participate in the workshops must pre-register, and child care is available if requested in advance. For more information or to register, call The Women’s Centre at 264-1155.
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