International Women’s Day, anyone?

Today, March 8 is International Women’s Day. Honored throughout the world, free and otherwise — it used to be a staple for communist celebration in th Soviet union and Bloc — it generally gets short thrift in the United States.

Said to commemorate an 1857 strike by women workers in New York, the effort to set aside a day to celebrate women’s achievements and assess their status gained momentum from women’s rights movements in the 1970s.

The day is said to have been declared March 8, 1910, in Helsinki, Finland, to commemorate a demonstration and march in 1857 in New York City on behalf of women garment and textile workers.

Members of the women’s movement in Russia during World War I celebrated the first International Women’s Day on March 8, 1913 to peacefully protest the war. A year later, women across Europe held rallies in solidarity on that same date.

This year, the day has a theme, namely hash-tagged as #EachforEqual.

“An equal world is an enabled world,” said the official International Women’s Day website. “Individually, we’re all responsible for our own thoughInternational ts and actions – all day, every day. We can actively choose to challenge stereotypes, fight bias, broaden perceptions, improve situations and celebrate women’s achievements. Collectively, each one of us can help create a gender equal world. Let’s all be #EachforEqual.”

Said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, executive director of UN Women: “2020 is a massive year for gender equality, and the benefits of gender equality are not just for women and girls, but for everyone whose lives will be changed by a fairer world that leaves no one behind.”

To honore the day, a few days later on March 12, The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) at the Scripps Center for Mass Spectrometry and Metabolomics hosts an exclusive reception “in celebration of women, diversity, and the work that still needs to be done. Meet and network with representatives from San Diego organizations who are working hard to support women and girls. Hear the latest insights, contributions, and accomplishments of women leaders, while learning more about CCL’s latest research and new initiatives for empowering women in the workplace and beyond.”

CCL is located at 3377 N. Torrey Pines Court, La Jolla and may be reached  for further details by phone at (858) 638-8000.

Starting at 5 p.m., Friday, March 13, Dance North County hosts an International women’s Day Arts+Dance Xchange that extends through the weekend.

“Honoring women around the world while promoting environmental sustainability and healthy living with dance, music, arts, and eco-activities! Our mission is to build a meaningful connection to nature through community arts and exchange. Please save the date for this year’s exciting line-up of phenomenal teachers, healers, artists and performers. Like our page on FB and/or follow @womensdayxchange on Instagram to stay up to date on event information. Full event schedule and ticket information available below:

EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday March 13th, 2020
6pm-7pm Family Capoeira & Percussion Workshop
Location: Dance North County, 535 Encinitas Blvd. Suite 103, Encinitas, CA

Saturday March 14th, 2020
10am-12pm Tree Planting Ceremony & Land Acknowledgement
*In partnership with Leucadia101 Mainstreet, this eco-activity is FREE and OPEN to the public.
Location: Cottonwood Creek Park 95 N. Vulcan Ave. Encinitas, CA 92024

7pm-10pm Arts Show, Performances, & Maker’s Market
Featuring local artists and artisans, social dancing with special guest DJ Cuevo, and performances by Divine Dance Co., Preeti Sharma (Shana Group), Sambamerica Dance Collective, Bahia Magia Dance Co. and more TBA.
Location: Dance North County, 535 Encinitas Bvd., Suite 100, Encinitas, CA 92024

Sunday March 15th, 2020- Dance/Movement Workshops
10am-11am KALI: Empowerment through Sacred Movement & Breath (Led By: Prandhara Prem)
11am-12pm DURGA: Expressing the Essence of Divine Power (Led by: Preeti Sharma)
12pm-1:15pm OYA: Embodying the Wild Warrior & The Alchemy of Air (Led By: Vika S. Hernandez)
1:15pm-2:30pm XANGO: Afro-Brazilian Orixa of Divine Justice
(Led By: Mestre Mariano Silva)

Location: Dance North County, 535 Encinitas Blvd. Suite 100, Encinitas, CA.