CARRBORO, N.C. – The Town of Carrboro recognizes Wednesday, March 8, 2023 as International Women’s Day and March 2023 as Women’s History Month.
“I encourage all residents to participate in Women’s History Month events and to learn about and celebrate the lives, history, and contributions of women during this month and throughout the year,” says Mayor Damon Seils in his proclamation.
Women are serving in leadership roles throughout the Town of Carrboro organization, including several as department heads. Since the election of Alderman Mary Riggsbee in 1971 and Mayor Ruth West in 1975, the people of Carrboro have been proudly electing women to local office, including currently serving Council Members Randee Haven-O’Donnell, Barbara Foushee, and Susan Romaine.
Carrboro Poet Laureate Liza Wolff-Francis will be the featured poet on International Women’s Day, Wednesday, March 8, at the Orange County Arts Commission’s Weave & Spin open mic night at the Eno Arts Mill Gallery in Hillsborough.
This year’s theme for Women’s History Month, as established by the National Women’s History Alliance, is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories,” honoring “women in every community who have devoted their lives and talents to producing art and news, pursuing truth and reflecting society decade after decade”.
“DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” is this year’s theme for United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day. It recognizes that “the digital age represents an unprecedented opportunity to eliminate all forms of disparity and inequality”—”from gender-responsive digital learning to tech-facilitated sexual and reproductive healthcare”—”opening new doors for the global empowerment of women, girls and other marginalized groups”.
The history of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month emerged from the labor and antiwar movements of the early 20th century, with an emphasis on women’s suffrage and workers’ rights that later expanded to include equal pay and other fair labor practices, sexual and reproductive rights, and the prevention of gender-based violence.
International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month offer a reminder that all attempts to subjugate women, erode women’s rights, and promote and defend gender-based violence—whether in our homes, our workplaces, or our legislatures—must be resisted.
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