About 40 participants chant “Equal pay for equal work. Education for all. Stop violence against women. Make it happen!” in the 2016 International Women’s Day March in Belleville. (Photo: Nicole Kleinsteuber / Quinte News)
Be bold for change.
That is the message that will be spreading around the world and throughout the Quinte area for International Women’s Day on March 8.
The global event has been observed since the early 1900s by celebrating achievements from political to social, while calling for gender equality.
The World Economic Forum predicts the gender gap won’t close entirely until 2186.
Karen Frisk, chair for International Women’s Day committee in Belleville said the City has been holding events for the past 26 years in an effort to seal the gap.
On Wednesday March 8, participants will gather at the Belleville Public Library and march through the downtown core at 4:30 p.m. It will be followed by refreshments and social hour at 5:00 p.m. and a talk by Katherine Govier of the Shoe Project at 6:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Trenval Business Development Corporation is also hosting an International Women’s Day event at Loyalist College next Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Michelle Ryder is a coordinator for a Loyalist College event that aims to shine a spotlight on local women who have taken on careers predominantly held by men.
Speakers include: Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, Loyalist College President; Karen Poste, City of Belleville Economic Development; Crystal McKinnon & Tammy Dixon, Athena Freight Services; Alison Davies, Small Business Centre Program Coordinator; Kara Enright, Enright Cattle Co.; Jill Raycroft, Belleville Chamber of Commerce CEO and many others.
There will be prizes, refreshments, hors d’oeurves and networking at the Pioneer Cafe, Pioneer Building in room p27.
For ticket information click here.
There will also be a march and celebration in Picton.
Festivities begin at 12 p.m. with a free lunch and guest speakers.
The lunch will be upstairs at Books & Company on Main Street with a talk at 12:30 p.m. by Carole Levesque, chairperson of the Tyendinaga Native Women’s Association. She will speak on the topic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
At 1 p.m., Tamarack Verrall of Montreal will present “Carrying Women’s Stories and speak about her work with World Pulse, a social network that connects women and creates a global community of leaders that speak out, share resources, and speed up change. There will also be an opportunity to make signs for the community march taking place later at 6 p.m. The rally and march will start at the cenotaph on Main Street in Picton.
