Franklin County Celebrates International Women's Day 2007

On Thursday, March 8, at 4:30 p.m., area residents will gather on the Greenfield Town Common for the annual International Women's Day rally and speak-out, sponsored by CODE PINK, Connecticut Valley Coalition for Women's Lives, Greenfield Community College Women's Studies Department and Peace and Social Justice Program, the Western Mass Local of the Socialist Party, and the Western Mass chapter of the Women's International League for Peace and freedom.

This year, the theme is "Sisterhood in Our Community/Sisterhood for Global Change", to highlight the connection between local, national, and international efforts on behalf of women's rights and social change.

Amber Chand, a refugee from Uganda and founder of the Amber Chand Collection, a company that supports talented craftswomen in war zones and refugee camps, will be one of the rally participants. She says that her work, both in business and in the community, stems from her belief that "Women-- no matter whether they are living in a war zone in Afghanistan or in the relative security of a neighborhood in the United States-- are the sustainers, nurturers, and givers within their communities. In celebrating International Women's Day we pay tribute to the resilience, courage, and beauty of women in our world, and to the creative human spirit that seems to rise up in spite of devastating circumstances."

Ms. Chand, a board member of the Women's Fund of Western Mass, will be Greenfield Community College's International Women's Day speaker at 11 a.m. on March 8 in Social Sciences Studio East 115. For more information on this event, being sponsored by the GCC Women's Studies Department, Sociology Department, and Peace and Social Justice Program, contact Linda McCarthy at mccarthyl@gcc.mass.edu. For more information about the afternoon rally, contact Susan Dorazio at susandor@crocker.com.