International Women’s Day dates back over a 100 years, but it has evolved along with the needs and situations of women in different parts of the world. The United Nations adopted the March celebration in 1975. This year’s theme is “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights.” The theme aligns with the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action enacted at the Fourth World Conference on Women. The goals of the movement are to promote gender equality and human rights for all, and to find sustainable paths towards peace, security and freedom from violence. 

These ambitious goals have worldwide implications, but ultimately no matter where in the world we live, we feel the greatest impact locally. For two of the past four years of the Women’s March on Roanoke, I have been an organizer. However, I will need to step back this year, but will continue to be connected with the movement through the Blue Ridge Resistance Alliance of Virginia (BRRAVA). We did not hold the march in January, but instead moved it to March 7 in order to align more closely with International Women’s Day and to take advantage of what we hope will be warmer weather. It will continue at Elmwood Park, offering a fun, family-friendly atmosphere that will include the usual food trucks, but will be limited to only one band and a shorter speaker schedule, in response to feedback from participants from previous years. Instead of a keynote speaker, there will be several local activists sharing the stage, offering two- to three-minute statements. Ivonne Wallace Fuentes, a march organizer, said the goal this year is to draw attention to a variety of issues.

As part of its mission statement, the Women’s March on Roanoke states: “We recognize and affirm that there is no true peace, freedom, or inclusion without equality for all. Our March therefore celebrates and promotes the many voices of resistance aligned with our principles – including ending violence, fighting for climate and environmental justice, and fighting for full civil rights and social justice for women and for other groups historically marginalized in our communities because of their racial, ethnic, religious, or gender identity; their class, economic, family, or immigration status; or their disability or physical condition.” 

There will be a strong emphasis on broad progressive ideals and the speakers will highlight local action that already is in progress. The Roanoke march always has made efforts to provide a platform for a diversity of voices, and has previously hosted Danielle Belton, editor-in-chief of The Root, and Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, as well as many local and statewide activists and performers. 

Catherine Koebel Stromberg, another organizer, has been an activist in gun violence prevention since the Virginia Tech shootings, and organized a Richmond Lobby Day group. She emphasizes that the effects of gun violence disproportionately affect women and children. For every one percent that gun ownership increases in a state, femicide increases a corresponding one percent and domestic violence is five times more likely to be lethal when there is a gun in the house. To illustrate the correlation between women’s rights and the prevention of gun violence, the first Women’s March on Roanoke received online threats of gun violence. The idea of a march to promote women’s rights was such a threat to some men that they reacted with threats of violence, although fortunately they did not follow through. During this year’s march, there will be opportunities for people to get involved in pushing for new laws to prevent gun violence.

Another area of emphasis will be environmental activism, which is so frequently led by women. From the Indian scholar and activist Vandana Shiva, who started the Ecofeminist movement in the 70s, to the young and passionate Greta Thunberg, who is publicly shaming world leaders for their inaction on climate change, it has so frequently been women who have pushed for necessary change. Land management, property ownership, family resources and access to clean water and food have traditionally been the job of women in many parts of the world, and it is the patriarchal, capitalist system that is destroying our environment. Upending that patriarchy is necessary to changing the status quo. Locally, the Sunrise Roanoke movement, led by young women activists, is pushing for legislation to protect the environment in Southwest Virginia. 

Get Out The Vote is another major push during the Women’s March on Roanoke. No changes are possible if people don’t vote. There will be the opportunity to register to vote or to check your registration status during the event, and there will be sign-ups so that people can volunteer to canvass. The GOTV. 2020 is a year in which we cannot afford for anyone to bow out. So many issues that affect all of us will be decided in this year’s election, and the only possible road to change involves everyone.

This year’s Women’s March on Roanoke has a new motto: “Fearless. Feminist. Fighters.” You can check the web page for updates as the date comes closer, and all are welcome to participate in this year’s march in March: roanokewomensmarch.org