March 8th

I'll be tabling at this event:

Montreal--On International Women’s Day -- WOMEN DEMAND A NEW WORLD ORDER: End Imperialism, Exploitation, War, Occupation and Repression

The 8th March Committee of Women of Diverse Origins demands nothing more and nothing less. We are feminists of diverse origins. Immersed in the grassroots, in our communities and in the wider society we oppose patriarchy and misogyny in terms of family relations, societal and political institutions, culture and the media. We are committed to dignity and to basic rights – freedom from fear and intimidation, freedom from sexual discrimination, freedom from fundamentalism. Without basic rights, women and their families are unable to achieve human dignity.

In the current local and global context what is needed is a new world order that clearly identifies the roots of the current problems women and our families face around the world. The multiple oppressions generated by patriarchy and capitalism have brought us to where we are today – a world of on-going and multiple wars, severe economic insecurity, exploitation of the marginalized – class, gender and race. It is simple. It is clear. Nothing less than a completely different order, a new world order can bring about a change for a better world.

We are at a point in world history where we will not be fobbed off with ‘the greater evil’, ‘that change comes slowly’ that the demand for a better world is ‘a utopian dream’. We know what the problems are. We know their causes. Only a total overhaul of the current systems can bring about lasting and meaningful change – justice and equality for all. The rapacious demands of corporations and governments in their pay with their war machines reap havoc, death and destruction on the innocent around the world, while petty despots oppress with impunity, unhindered. The free-flowing movement of capital around the world pushes workers everywhere to the lowest common denominator in terms of job security, wages and exploitatitive conditions. People flee war, political oppression and economic disaster to become even more exploited wherever they land. Minorities are targeted with violence and brutality and few give a damn. The smoke and mirrors that are erected do not distract us – we know the causes, we have answers.

Join us as we gather to elaborate, propose and discuss around the problems; the urgency for a new world order; what that order will be. Women have always been at the forefront of economic and political change. We are the ones who feed our families. We are the ones who have always been on the streets demanding bread and demanding peace. Once more we are out there . We want nothing more and nothing less than a New World Order.

There are two events. An all day event with speakers, workshops, displays, and a march on International Women’s Day. Local and international speakers will tie together the issues – from Afghanistan to Akwesasne, from the field to the factory and the kitchen table, from the local park to the jail cells to the battlefield. We will share ideas and experiences. There will be film screenings and displays.

You are invited. Be there.

Saturday 28th February
10am-5pm; Registration 9am
Childcare on site. Lunch provided
Suggested donation $5 (no-one turned away)

Pavillon Jean-Brillant
Université de Montréal
3200 Jean-Brillant
Auditorium B-2325
Info: 514 342 2111

Sunday March 8th
Demonstration 12 noon
Cabot Square

There's a bunch of events in Ottawa, as soon as I finish making the flyer I'll send it out.

But for now, check out this exciting event

being put on by a coalition of 10 women's groups:

I'm Not a Feminist, but...

☆.•´¯`•.☆.•´¯`•.☆.•´¯`•.☆... i poop rainbows.

Heh.  Maybe I'll get my son to paint a sign that says "This is what a feminist looks like" and take him to the march on the 7th. :)

Quote:

In Search of Respect:
Immigrant Women in the Face of Interpersonal and Structural Violence

Tuesday March 3, 2009
Noon-1:30

University of Toronto
Faculty of Social Work,  Room 548
246 Bloor Street West

Featured Speakers:
Hilary Evans Cameron, Downtown Legal Services
Barriers facing women refugee claimants and women seeking status on humanitarian grounds

Ramona Alaggia, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work
Intimate partner violence and Canadian immigration laws: How far have we come?

Mujeres al Frente

Testimonials from members of the Toronto-based Support Group for LBTIQ Women and Transgender Persons of Latin-America

Montreal, March 2, 2009 -- This year's forum to mark International Women's Day in Montreal was once again a day of laughter, rage and tears organized around strong, passionate women.

Over 200 people came out to hear speakers, exchange, and network around the theme Women Demand a New World Order: End Imperialism, occupation, exploitation, war and repression on Saturday, Februrary 28, 2009 at the Université de Montréal. This was the eighth yearly event organized by the March 8 Committee of Women of Diverse Origins (WDO-FDO).

There was an impressive array of speakers from around the globe and around the corner:
Soha Bechara, a former political prisoner at the notorious Khaim prison in Israel, spoke about the on-going resistance of Palestinian women;
Elizabeth Penashue, an Innu elder from Labrador shared her community's story of on-going struggle against low-level NATO flights and the dams that were flooding their territory; two young women from the local Tamil community spoke about the genocide being carried out against their people in Sri Lanka;
Nargess Mustapha spoke of community organizing after the police shooting of young Freddy Villanueva in Montreal North;
Tess Tesalona of the International Migrants' Alliance spoke about the economic crisis and its impact on migrant workers;
Zoya, the speaker from the Revolutionay Afghan Women's Association sent a written message when her visa was denied, in which she spoke about the need to withdraw foreign troops, which had only served to strengthen the position of warlords and the Taliban in her country;
and the struggle of the Algonquin people of Barriere Lake was explained by a member of the solidarity committee.

The day was dedicated to the memory of Melca Salvador, a Filipino migrant worker whose struggle against deportation became a symbol of the courage and stamina of migrant workers and of all that is wrong with Canada's Live-In Caregiver program. Her struggle mobilized broad community support in 2001and resulted in victory for her and her son Richard in May of that year. "She had only two years to enjoy that victory", said Tess Agustin, of the Quebec Filipina women's group, PINAY, "before she was diagnosed with breast cancer." Melca Salvador died on Friday morning, February 27, 2009. A video made by activist filmmakers documenting the year-long struggle and Melca's victory was shown. (You can see it on-line at: http://www.pmm.qc.ca/english/spip.php?article20)

Participants endorsed a series of resolutions presented by the March 8th Committee of Women of Diverse Origins, which included the call for an international assembly of women in Montreal in 2010 towards establishing a global women's alliance.
Colorful banners decorated the amphtheatre and tables of literature and books lined the corridor outside. As usual, a delicious community lunch was served and a Kurdish dance at the end of the day saw participants hold hands and circle the auditorium to the music. A program featuring the history of the WDO, articles and the resolutions was produced by Anna Carasthathis and Charlotte Altunayar.
 A demonstration organized by the March 8th Committee of Women of Diverse Origins will be held in Montreal on Sunday, March 8, 2009 at 12 noon starting at Carré Cabot, corner Sainte-Catherine | Atwater (Métro Atwater).

It is with great pride and pleasure that I take this opportunity to wish everyone:

[font=Lucinda][size=25]Happy International Women's Day![/size][/font]