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Bay Area Women March and Rally on International Women’s Day

by Joe Rigney (webmaster [at] butterflydreams.com)
Hundreds of women gathered in San Francisco on Saturday to demonstrate their opposition to war on Iraq. A rally of about a hundred women was held outside of the Bechtel Corporation, followed by a march, first to the Venezuelan consulate, then to Union Square, where the march joined about three hundred women in black holding a silent vigil.
Hundreds of women gathered in San Francisco on Saturday to demonstrate their opposition to war on Iraq. A rally of about a hundred women was held outside of the Bechtel Corporation, followed by a march, first to the Venezuelan consulate, then to Union Square, where the march joined about three hundred women in black holding a silent vigil.

The rally at noon was part of the Fourth Annual Global Women’s Strike, which drew participants in over seventy countries around the world. The women in San Francisco chose to start at the Bechtel Corporation headquarters due to the company’s long history of violence against people, particularly women.

The International Women’s Strike had several demands, including that there be payment for all caring work, that there be pay equity for all, that there be paid leave for maternity leave and breast feeding, and that women receive protection and asylum from all violence.

Rachel West summarized the problems facing women in the US. “Welfare reform forces women to work at any job for any wage. Congress can find money for wars, but not for mothers.”

“If women were in control, we wouldn’t be going to war,” said National Lawyers Guild Program Director Riva Enteen. “Power to the Women!”

After a performance by the Po’ Poets Project, the group marched to the Venezuelan Consulate, where an appeal from the women of Venezuela to women around the world was read. Venezuela’s democratically elected government is under attack by a wealthy elite. The Venezuelan constitution, supported by 72% of the voters in a popular referendum, recognizes housework as an economic activity, and it provides social security and a pension for housewives.

According to the Venezuela Support Group, 80% of Venezuelans live in poverty despite the fact that the country is the fourth largest oil producer in the world. The group spoke in solidarity with the Bolivarian revolution being played out in Venezuela, a revolution where women are playing a key role.

The marchers then went to Union Square, where they joined with San Francisco Women In Black, who was holding a silent vigil in the square. Over three hundred women, all dressed in black, stood at the center of one of San Francisco’s main commercial centers, holding signs that said “No War,” “Justice and Peace,” and “Stop Violence Against Women.”

This event by San Francisco Women in Black was held as a special commemoration for International Women’s Day. Women from Berkeley, Marin, Oakland, Santa Cruz, and the entire Bay Area converged on San Francisco for this event.

A particularly moving display was of several people wearing large masks of women with brown faces, dressed in black. Holding what appeared to be babies in their arms, the masks appeared confused and in anguish. The women would reach their hands out to passers by, silently imploring them to help. With Saks Fifth Avenue in the background, this protest showed the power of action over words.

For more information on the International Women’s Strike, check their website at http://womenstrike8m.server101.com . The San Francisco Women in Black meet on the first Friday of the month at Montgomery and Market St, 5 - 6 p.m.


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