International Women's Day - March 8

In 1910, at an international conference of working women in Copenhagen, Clara Zetkin, a member of the Social Democratic Party in Germany, proposed the idea of an International Women’s Day—a day when women would put forward demands for equality. The delegates at the women’s conference—representing 17 countries—unanimously voted in favour of Zetkin’s proposal. In 1911, International Women's Day was recognized for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Since then, countries worldwide continue to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, recognizing women’s achievements while calling for greater equality.

There are numerous events happening across Saskatchewan for International Women’s Day this year. One in particular focuses on storytelling. Women Building Bridges for Change Through Art and Story is a collaborative project of the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan, Regina Immigrant Women Centre, the MacKenzie Art Gallery, Intercultural Grandmothers Uniting, Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, Amnesty International and other community groups. The event, which will take place on Sunday, March 8 at the MacKenzie Art Gallery from 1:00-3:15 p.m., includes opportunities for women from a variety of cultural backgrounds to connect through story and art.

Attendees are invited to interact with the MovingForward, Never Forgetting exhibition, which features work exploring the intergenerational impact of colonization and ways of moving forward through cross-cultural friendship, familial sharing and cultural continuance.

What’s particularly unique about this exhibition is the works are accompanied by Story Keepers—living speakers who will assist visitors in learning about the stories behind the art works and collect stories from visitors.

At 3:30 p.m., participants will then be invited to board buses and travel to the Albert Street Bridge to take part in an international movement, Join Me On The Bridge. There, participants will connect with one another with red coloured scarves “to show freedom and empowerment.”

Do you have a story of integration to share about a female relative? Are you a woman with your own story to share? Tell it to us using the hashtag: #WeAreSK.