Photo by Carsen Maciag/The Siskiyou
Left to right: Danelle Mancusso, co-orgtanizer of the celebration, Shannon Garrett, Tammy Martinez and Lilly Burnett in front of the SU after the parade. Puppets by Coyote Rising

International Women's Day was filled with dances, puppets, food and the essential message of "shaping progress for women."

Southern Oregon University, Rogue Community College and the Ashland and Medford communities joined together to celebrate International Women’s Day for the first time on March 8. The celebration began at Triangle Park and continued with a march along Siskiyou Boulevard, ending in the Rogue River room.

Students and community members held signs and had three "larger than life-sized" puppet women, made by Coyote Rising. Drivers honked in support for the people and the puppets. The day continued with international cuisine, dancing, drumming and performances.

Deltra Ferguson, coordinator of the Women’s Resource Center, held a steering committee beforehand for the whole community to be a part of the celebration.

"We wanted it to be something that the community would embrace. That was the original vision, an open-hearted, inclusive event for and from the community, honoring and celebrating women," Ferguson said.

Jill Mackie was one of the many volunteers who helped organized the event. Barbara Scott Winkler, director of the women’s studies program at SOU, also helped plan the event.

"Women need to keep fighting for their rights. Women need to applaud how far we’ve come, but there is still more to do. We’re not going to sit back and not do it," Mackie said.

The Planned Parenthood Teen Theater performed a skit on body image, media and growing up as a girl. There were several performances by the Ashland Taiko drummers and ending dance performances of Bharata Natyam by the Anada Natya School of Indian Dance.

Senior Amy Wilhelm works at the Women’s Resource Center and thought the celebration was fun.

"I think it’s really important to have celebration and activism. This is a celebration of women and girls. It brings us together and unifies us but also allows us to have fun as a group," Wilhelm said. "Women and girls bring their own uniqueness to a society."

Sasha Krafft, an international studies major and women’s studies minor, who represented Peace House, felt that oppression against women still exists.

"A lot of women find themselves in very violent situations that they feel they can’t escape, and that’s all over the world," Krafft said.

"International Women’s Day is a way to celebrate women and also bring awareness to women’s issues all over the world that are not being addressed," Krafft said.

There were dozens of sponsors and booths supporting the event and promoting awareness, including numerous organizations from SOU and the Ashland community.

Alex Hatcherl, representing the Gender Sexuality Union, said that it was a safe space for everyone.

"It’s something that the whole community needs to acknowledge, and it’s just great to gather all these different groups and ages to all come together for one good cause," Hatcherl said.

International Women’s Day is acknowledged globally, and the community of Ashland hopes that this is the first of many celebrations to be held.

"International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate and honor women and girls and to practice that global vision together, and coming together, we really must learn to do that," Ferguson said.

"You have to keep fighting for what you believe in and what needs to be done because if you don’t stand up and keep saying things, you go backwards. You have to always be upfront and talk about what is key to make a healthy world, and women know that better than anyone else," Mackie said.

Numerous governments, universities and organizations globally support International Women’s Day through events and initiatives.

"It’s terribly important to be able to have a global vision. We’re learning how to do that. I don’t think we know how, but it means we need to get together and learn," Ferguson said.