Breaking the Bias on International Women’s Day
By Claire Geith and Mitanshi Gondaliya
Harrisonburg community gathered at Court Square at IWD Harrisonburg, 2022
On March 5th, 2022, at 10:00 am, people slowly started gathering at City Hall, downtown Harrisonburg. It was a bright sunny day where families with children and many students from James Madison University had come together in celebration of International Women’s Day. Many people were carrying posters with them to celebrate the march. There was music and food and after an hour, everyone started the walk towards Court Square from the City Hall marking the beginning of this year’s International Women’s Day celebrations. So how did such a monumental event begin and gain popularity across the world? In this article, we talk about a brief history of International Women’s Day and its journey to our own Harrisonburg community.
Beginning of Women’s Movement and International Women’s Day
The first International Women’s Day had more than one million people come out in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland in 1911. People came out to demand women’s suffrage and labor rights. In the earlier years, the Day had become a tool to protest World War I. In Russia, many women-led movements came out demanding “bread and peace!” Four days later, the Czar abdicated and now this day is considered a national holiday in Russia. Some historians believe that the Day ignited the Russian Revolution. International Women’s Day is a day that we all know very well.
IWD in the United States
On this day, people around the world take to social media, the streets, and even in their households to honor women. So how did a rally that seeks to empower women, end up occurring in a small town like Harrisonburg? The history of IWD in the United States is a long one, beginning in 1909 amidst the women’s rights movement, so for International Women’s Day to come to Harrisonburg is very important. It’s also about more than just simply honoring women, it “celebrates the global ‘social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women’, according to the International Women’s Day website.
Harrisonburg community gathered at Court Square at IWD Harrisonburg, 2022
IWD in Harrisonburg
Before diving into the history of Harrisonburg’s rally, it is important to know that this year was the sixth annual rally for International Women’s Day. Six years of a variety of speakers, women, and support all to spend time honoring the women in the community. The history of IWD in Harrisonburg is rooted in a wide range of women. As a 2020 article from Daily-News Record states, “Francie Osando is the Harrisonburg International Women’s Day Committee founder and president. In Congo, her country of birth, Osando says everyone would march, gather, and share women’s issues every year in commemoration of the holiday”. An immigrant seeing the need for IWD and doing what it takes to organize the rally is impactful.
Harrisonburg community marching towards Court Square at IWD Harrisonburg, 2022
The committee including a diverse group of women has been a priority since the beginning. This year's theme for the rally was, Break the Bias, the only way the bias can truly be broken is by including every person in the conversation. Shama Parveen, a committee member of the IWD event beautifully said,
“When you listen to so many powerful and strong women coming from different backgrounds, it gives you a sense of patience and tolerance that you might be lacking.”
The people of Harrisonburg came out to celebrate this day on March 5, 2022. We started with a gathering at downtown Harrisonburg and marched to City Hall. Monica Robinson, a committee member of IWD, began the event with powerful words introducing this year’s theme–Breaking the Bias:
“Why fighting bias matters one year into the pandemic, we’re in a moment of crisis for women. Millions of women have been driven out of the workforce by Covid-19. Many more are struggling with burnout and considering downshifting their careers or leaving their jobs. To avoid unwinding years of progress toward gender equality, companies need to act now to promote, hire, and retain women. Combating the biases women face at work is critical to getting this right. Research shows that bias contributes to women being passed over for jobs and promotions. Almost three in four women experience bias at work, and those who do are more likely to leave their jobs. And women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women with disabilities face more acute biases. Yet only one in three employees, including managers, challenges biased behavior when they see it. Knowing that bias exists isn’t enough. We need to take action—and Lean In’s 50 Ways to Fight Bias the program can help.”
Mayor Deanna Reed giving the opening remarks at the IWD Harrisonburg, 2022
After the march, Mayor Deanna Reed gave the opening remarks followed by some incredible women who spoke of their experiences shaped by their different identities. It takes all women to truly create a space that can change the world, for everyone. A student from James Madison University who attended the event, Madison Hite said, “The inclusion of song and poetry made the event especially great. I loved hearing about how proud they were of being a woman.” From different generations, backgrounds, and ages an event focused on change and furthering women brings a lot of people together. And we celebrated a beautiful moment celebrating the power of all gender identities and how if we come together and speak about the bias, we can and will break the bias.
IWD Harrisonburg, 2022
This year may have been the sixth year of IWD being celebrated in Harrisonburg, but it’s a tradition that will last through the years with inclusion and diversity being at the forefront of the rally. As Monique Tshibola, IWD committee member rightly said,
"My gender doesn't define my strength or my weakness."
We as a collective society truly need to reflect on how we can create shared spaces for everyone and progress as a society. IWD’s call for action is to take the steps to remove the barriers for everyone and one of the ways we can do that is by taking small steps. For anyone looking to get involved in progressive social change, connecting with IWD’s organizing committee in the Harrisonburg community could be a great resource.