Los Angeles, CA – On March 8, over 150 people gathered at the Boyle Heights City Hall to attend Centro CSO’s ninth annual International Women’s Day celebration. This year’s event featured food vendors and a panel with speakers from Centro CSO’s different areas of work, such as immigration, education and police brutality. Dra. Rocio Rivas, an LAUSD school board member who defends the nation’s second largest district from privatization, served as the event’s keynote speaker.

Jenny Bekenstein, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, explained how International Women’s Day developed alongside the fight against capitalism and the exploitation of workers. Bekenstein, who is also a Teamster at UPS said, “International Women’s Day has a history of women standing up to their bosses, organizing strikes, taking people into the streets, and fighting back!”

Centro CSO also uplifted the demands of reproductive rights for all, an end to gender-based violence, liberation for LGBTQ, equal work for equal pay, legalization for all, and a stop to police crimes.

The audience then heard from a panel of activists including Isabella Rivera, the mother of Jeremy Flores who was killed by LAPD Hollenbeck in 2025; Antonieta Garcia, the co-chair of CSO’s education committee who organizes against the spread of charter schools in East LA; Destiny Martinez, a Teamster activist at UPS, and Verita Topete, an immigrant rights activist and co-chair of CSO’s Immigration Committee.

Panelists shared how they got involved in activism, and what it’s like to be women fighting for causes like public education, justice against police crimes, immigrant rights, and working in the labor movement.

Verita Topete, whose father was detained for many years at Adelanto Detention Center, said, “Centro CSO hosted a beautiful International Women’s Day event that created space for local Chicana-owned small businesses and brought together a powerful panel of Chicanas doing important work in their communities. We heard from women organizing around police accountability, education, labor and immigrant rights. It was an honor to share space with women who are on the frontlines of these fights. The room was filled with women who left feeling seen, supported and empowered.”

When asked about the event, panel moderator Kate Regan, a public school teacher and activist, said, “International Women’s Day is not just a cause for celebration, but also an important call to action. Our event was a beautiful display of appreciation for the work that has already been done, and also a joyous source of inspiration to the women and girls who have yet to find their unique voice in the struggle. We empower each other through sharing our stories of strength and resilience.”

Dra. Rocio Rivas, an LAUSD school board member and strong ally of Centro CSO, closed the event by recognizing women’s contributions to protecting public education from privatization. Rivas is running for re-election this year and has been endorsed by Centro CSO due to her efforts to stop the growth of charter schools.

Centro CSO invites all who want to fight back against Trump’s racist and reactionary agenda to its monthly general meeting at 6 p.m. at the Boyle Heights City Hall.

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