DALLAS—The International Women’s Day celebration in downtown Dallas March 8 broke some of the barriers that have been dividing the progressive movement in the current upsurge. Rather than holding labor’s own separate event, as has been the case for the last four years, the Dallas AFL-CIO endorsed one that was called by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization and quickly supported by labor’s youth group, Young Active Labor Leaders.
Other groups, including Code Pink, Democratic Socialists of America North Texas Chapter, the Communist Party of Dallas-Fort Worth, DFW Anti-War Committee, the Afiya Center, Jewish Voice for Peace Dallas Fort-Worth, National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Progressive Student Union, and Food Not Bombs joined, so there was only a single unified march this year.
A downpour of rain did not stop various women’s rights, labor, anti-war, and socialist groups from showing their support at the International Women’s Day March. Many spoke around the same theme—that the struggle for women’s liberation and the fight against patriarchy is inseparable from the struggle against capitalism, imperialism, white supremacy, homophobia, and transphobia. Each of the endorsing organizations had a speaker from the top of the steep artificial hill in Civic Garden Park.
The procession through the streets of downtown Dallas was led by marchers holding a banner, “Women Hold Up Half The Sky.” Chants included: “Half the sky, we hold it up, Half the world! We’ve had enough!” and “Not the church! Not the state! Women must decide our fate!”
Signs were full of slogans: “A Woman’s Place is in the Revolution,” “Abort the Court,” “Dear Daughter, this is for you,” “The Only Dangerous Minority in America is the Rich,” “No Kings,” “We Speak for Those Who Can’t,” and “F*** ICE.” Many of the signs were directed pointedly at the fascist Trump-Musk takeover.
The march stopped at every major intersection it came to, and a speaker would mount a truck equipped with a sound system so that the messages of the day were broadcast not just to participants but also to motorists.
At one stop, Jumana Saadeh of Code Pink and the Dallas Anti-War Committee, said, “We find ourselves fighting against the forces of evil yet again. It feels like every year the clock turns back time, and we lose the very freedoms that we fought so hard to gain.” Saadeh was referring to the Trump and MAGA’s attacks on women’s rights, abortion, LGBTQ equality, and its attempts to demonize and erase trans people.
“International Women’s Day is more than a celebration, it is a struggle!” Saadeh said. She shared the story of how International Women’s Day started in 1908 when women garment workers took to the streets in New York City striking for better working conditions, shorter hours and the right to vote.
Claudia Jones was brought up multiple times in speeches, a Black immigrant woman activist living in the United States without U.S. citizenship and member of the Communist Party USA at the height of the Red Scare hysteria. “If she was not afraid, what are we afraid of?” Saadeh asked.
“Trump’s actions and statements shouldn’t be normalized!” Saadeh said. She attacked Trump’s releasing of an AI image to take over Gaza and turn it into a playground for the rich as a continuation of the ongoing genocide against Palestinians.
Rosie Curts, teachers’ union leader and speaker for the Dallas AFL-CIO, celebrated Ella Baker, the backbone of the Civil Rights Movement. Others invoked Lucy Parsons for her involvement in the May Day strikes fighting for the 8-hour workday and Charlene Mitchell, the first Black woman candidate for U.S. president who ran on the CPUSA ticket in 1968.
The speakers reminded people that in order to end women’s oppression and get to its root cause, the struggle must center and empower working class women and women of color to fight and overcome capitalism, imperialism, white supremacy, and patriarchy.
“The same system that denies women equal pay, restricts your reproductive rights, and exploits you in the workplace is the same system that fuels environmental destruction, and widens the gap between rich and poor,” said Lawrence Carter, a speaker for the Communist Party’s DFW Club.
__
Northern California women’s day rally takes aim at Trump policies
Henry Millstein
EUREKA, Calif.—On March 8, International Women’s Day, several hundred protesters filled two city blocks in downtown Eureka (population 27,000) in the far north of California, responding to a call from the Women’s March network.
Most of the demonstrators came with homemade signs expressing outrage on a variety of issues, most of them relating to actions by the Trump administration. There were no speakers, but the placards spoke eloquently enough:
- “Abort Project 2025”
- “People Can’t Survive Where Billionaires Thrive”
- “Tax the Rich—One Problem Solved”
- “Abolish ICE”
- “Good Dog—Bad DOGE!” (on a canine’s back)”
- “Respect my Existence or Expect my Resistance”
Many in the crowd were clearly ready for resistance to the Trump regime’s attacks on women and men on a variety of fronts. Conversation with some of the protesters showed both the breadth and the intensity of the concerns that brought them to the rally.
Rebecca, pastor of a local Protestant church, was drawn to the event to show that “Christian nationalists don’t speak for Christians or Christianity.” She said that being a Christian meant living and loving the way Jesus did, with a special emphasis on serving the poor, in contrast to the Trump administration’s focus on benefiting billionaires.
Phillip, a worker at a local financial services firm, joined the rally largely out of concern that Trump, Musk, and company are seeking to impose fascism. Asked what he wanted to see as next steps for the movement, he pointed to the need for progressive organizations and individuals to “come together to build community” to confront Trump’s efforts to divide and confuse.
Most of the demonstrators stayed for the entire two hours that the organizers called for, as passing motorists showed their support for the demonstration by an almost continuous blaring of horns.
We hope you appreciated this article. At People’s World, we believe news and information should be free and accessible to all, but we need your help. Our journalism is free of corporate influence and paywalls because we are totally reader-supported. Only you, our readers and supporters, make this possible. If you enjoy reading People’s World and the stories we bring you, please support our work by donating or becoming a monthly sustainer today. Thank you!
CONTRIBUTOR
