March 8 (UPI) — Schools in some parts of the country are closed Wednesday as women stay home for work and avoid shopping for “A Day Without a Woman” protest event.
The Women’s March on Washington organization has called on women to wear red, take the day off and avoid shopping to highlight their impact on the U.S. economy.
The event coincides with International Women’s Day.
“In the same spirit of love and liberation that inspired the Women’s March, we join together in making March 8th ‘A Day Without a Woman,’ recognizing the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio-economic system — while receiving lower wages and experiencing greater inequities, vulnerability to discrimination, sexual harassment and job insecurity,” the Women’s March on Washington said in a statement.
The event has three rules: women take the day off from paid and unpaid labor; avoid shopping for one day with exceptions for small, and women- and minority-owned businesses; and wear red in solidarity.
The event has led to the closure of schools in Alexandria, Va., North Carolina’s Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School District and New York due to the anticipated staff shortages.
Other organizations supporting the event include Amnesty International, the Sierra Club, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, MoveOn.org and Planned Parenthood.
Event organizers said “A Day Without a Woman” was inspired by New York City’s bodega strike in which immigrant store owners closed down stores and “A Day Without Immigrants” in which many immigrants nationwide stayed home from work and school, and did not spend money Feb. 15.
The latest event follows the 2017 Women’s March, a worldwide protest in opposition to President Donald Trump, which was held Jan. 21.
“When millions of us stood together in January, we saw clearly that our army of love greatly outnumbers that of fear, greed and hatred,” event organizers said. “Let’s raise our voices together again, to say that women’s rights are human rights.”
