Be FREE! International Women's Day at UCLA

This was written by Myra Duran - FMF West Coast intern and UCLA Bruin Feminist for Equality:

The month of March - Women’s History Month, and home of International Women’s Day - is the month when feminists around the world can commemorate years of activism and celebrate our achievements in the name of women’s equality. From taking action against the war in the Congo, to the oppression of women in Afghanistan and Iran, women all over the world are mobilizing to establish solidarity against sexism, racism, homophobia, gender inequality, and sexual violence.

Since the recognition of International Women’s Day in 1900, it has been a global day of recognition and celebration across developed and developing countries alike. These days, more and more college students are taking on more responsible roles, showing they care about international women’s issues, and are not afraid to express their political ideology on campus.

I am currently involved with a student group at UCLA called Bruin Feminists for Equality. We are a group that seeks to develop bold, new strategies, and programs to advance the social, political and economic equality of all people. Most importantly, we try to focus on the empowerment of women and girls in all sectors of society. So, when March rolled around we decided that we had to put on an event that would embody the true essence of what International Women’s Day is.

If you have been a part of any student group where many different minds, opinions, and thoughts all come together, then you will agree that hosting an event that is supposed to capture a global mindset can be a trying feat to accomplish. We finally settled on a theme we felt confident in: “Taking Back What’s Ours”. It was set to include three workshops: one on women’s self defense, one on gender and sexuality in the workplace, and the last on transnational feminism, with a keynote speaker to close. Through these workshops, our goal was to draw attention to the various ways women can reclaim their rights against patriarchy, violence, homophobia, and other forms of oppression.

Stress and panic arose when two weeks before our event we still didn’t have a keynote speaker. We didn’t just want anyone to speak; we wanted someone who has really made true strides and accomplishments in transnational feminism. One woman stood out for us: world-renowned Chicana poet, playwright, and writer: Cherrie Moraga. In the words of one of my women’s studies classmates, “Cherrie is Chicana feminism - it’s like Shakespeare for English literature. Cherrie Moraga is the definition of what Chicana feminist writing is.” We only hoped that she would want to come out from her Stanford abode and honor us with her presence.

Did we get Cherrie or did we not?……….Yes, we did! We were E-C-S-T-A-T-I-C that this true pioneer for women of color was actually going to speak at our event. All of our hard work paid off when we heard Cherrie was coming, and we knew our event would genuinely embody what International Women’s Day is all about. We knew the event was a great success when over 80 students came to listen to her speak! Listening to Cherrie’s inspirational words and picking her brain for ideas on how we, as young adults, can become the new revolutionaries of our generation was the highlight of the day and her words are still flying in my mind. In the words of Cherrie, “you can only feel joy if you are free, so be FREE!”