Atlanta rallies for International Women’s Day
Atlanta, GA – Activists and community members rallied at the Georgia State Capitol on March 8 to celebrate International Women’s Day and to stand against Trump’s attacks. The protest was hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Atlanta Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and Atlanta for Palestine and featured speakers from each of the groups.
The rally started off strong with a speech from Asia Kravitz, a member of the Atlanta Alliance. She tied women’s oppression and liberation to the Alliance’s campaign to shut down Fulton County Jail.
“International Women’s Day commemorates the long and hard battles women have fought for their rights to reproductive health, gender equality in the world and workplace,” said Kravitz. “The Atlanta Alliance recognizes that the city of Atlanta and the Fulton County Jail are failing the women forcibly taken under their care by denying them these rights, which has led to women dying in the jail without conviction or trial.”
Osama Mor, a member of Atlanta for Palestine, spoke about the essential role of women within the Palestinian national liberation movement: “We honor the Palestinian women who have been central to mobilizing the masses of our land, across all generations, from the British Mandate and the Nakba, to the First and Second Intifada, to the current moment – where the women of Palestine, continue to uphold our struggle against our oppressor.”
The rally was closed out with a speech from FRSO member David Jones, who stated, “Women have been at the forefront of movements across the globe. Here in the South, mothers fighting for justice for their children are the backbone of the Black liberation movement as they fight for change in the face of police violence, whereas internationally, women in Palestine and the Philippines have lost their lives fighting for liberation in the face of U.S. imperialism.”
Jones continued, “‘Women hold up half the sky’ is not just a slogan, it’s a fact. Without women like Claudia Jones, Leila Khalid and Wilma Tiamzon, the national liberation movements wouldn’t be where they are today. We got to fight like hell not just maintain wins made prior but to secure the wins necessary for our future.”