Thursday, March 8th is International Women's Day - a day on which women on all continents to come together to celebrate their various struggles for equality, justice, and peace. Many events were held around the Bay Area and Central Valley on March 8th.

At 5:00pm, the Foreign Affairs Council hosted child rights activist Betty Makoni at 827 Valencia Street, Suite 101. Makoni founded Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe, a community based organization that is working to empower over 20,000 girls.

The Women of Color Resource Center hosted Speaking Fierce, an evening of art, poetry, music and dance, beginning at 6:30pm at the First Congregational Church's Reidenbach Hall, 2501 Harrison Street in Oakland.

The C.A.F.E. Infoshop at 935 F Street in Fresno hosted the Women’s Studies student organization P.O.W.E.R. (People Organized for Women's Empowerment and Representation) and the Femicide Action Committee for "Help Stop Femicide in Juarez," a night of education, networking, refreshments, and fundraising.

The Progressive Jewish Alliance kicked off its first annual Sweatshop Awareness Month with a screening of "China Blue", Micha Peled’s documentary that illustrates the lives of young women working in a blue jeans factory in China. The film was shown at the Cerrito Theater, 10070 San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito. A Q&A with the director followed the screening, along with a brief update on PJA’s Kosher Clothes Campaign.

Acción Zapatista Davis held an event with "fotos & music & video & dialogue about transnational rebellion & collective visions of (an)other world" at 7:00pm at 105 Olson Hall on the UC Davis campus

In San Francisco, ANSWER screened the film "Maquilopolis" at 7:30pm at ATA, 992 Valencia Street.

Indybay's Past Coverage of IWD | Women of Color Resource Center | Progressive Jewish Alliance | China Blue | SF ANSWER | A corporate IWD site | Global Women's Strike