Grand Rapids, Michigan – 30 community members gathered at the East Church on Saturday for a panel discussion of International Women’s Day. The three panelists who spoke were Jessica Plichta of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Jess Westra of IATSE Local 26, and Kawiye Jumale of A Glimpse of Africa.

Kawiye Jumale spoke of her experience as a child refugee of the Somali civil war, and the long struggle to immigrate to the United States stating, “It was a lengthy process. They [her parent’s] had already stayed in the camp for eleven years, before the process began. In those eleven years, is when I was born.”

Jessica Plichta stated, “Here in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, we’re in the streets and the meeting halls, and we’ll let it be known that we stand with undocumented women, children and families. ICE terror needs to be stopped now.”

Plichta continued. “During my time in Venezuela, I met revolutionaries who fought and defended the Bolivarian Revolution against U.S. intervention and won. There have been significant advancements for women in society, the workplace and education. Most of the government officials I met and heard speak were women, such as Delcy Rodríguez, the vice president and current acting president of Venezuela.”

Trade unionist Jess Westra taught the crowd about the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, when 146 women and children died due to the ownership’s disregard for safety.

“Let’s talk about the manager that was on site, who was in the room and saw the smoke. Do you know what his response was? He leaves, and locks the door behind him,” Westra said. “Children and women were throwing things at the fire, trying to put it out, and they reached for the firehose which had disintegrated. The water won’t come out of the pipes because they haven’t been checked.”

Afterward, the crowd asked several questions of the panelists and made comments from their own experiences as women or as allies to women. To finish off the event, the group gathered for a picture and chanted, “Long live International Women’s Day!”

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