Pittsburgh’s International Women’s Day protest calls for solidarity with women around the world
Pittsburgh, PA – On March 8, the International Solidarity Committee of Pittsburgh (ISCPIT) celebrated International Women’s Day on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh with a rally to end “End the War on Women!”
ISCPIT speaker Marigold Cameron told the crowd, “Although Western media likes to portray the Islamic Republic as an ultimate oppressor of women, it should be noted that since the revolution, literacy among women has jumped from 67 to 97%, with women now constituting a majority of university students, especially in STEM fields. This marks Iran as the country in the region with the highest participation of women in academia – and yes, that is even counting Israel.”
Cameron continued, “When the U.S. and Israel launched their joint attack on Iran eight days ago, one of their first targets was a school for girls, where over 150 students and teachers were murdered!”
A representative of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) stated, “Here in Pittsburgh, the healthcare providers for trans youth, namely UPMC, Central Outreach, and Metro Community Health, have all pre-complied with Trump's lies and cut off this care entirely. Planned Parenthood has also shut down three of its Pittsburgh-area family planning offices, and unionized workers at Allegheny Reproductive Health Center have been repeatedly fired or locked out of their jobs.”
Another speaker from ISCPIT, Kate Hagerty said, “Hatred of women, violence against women, and the sexual abuse of children are symptoms of patriarchy, capitalism and colonialism visited on the weakest and most defenseless people in our society. When the identity of your country is rooted in dominance, theft, exploitation and dehumanization, sexual violence becomes an obvious and unavoidable consequence.”
Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s (FRSO) Ed Gallo stated, “Even within the already exploited working class, women’s work is even more undervalued, underpaid and rendered invisible. When women's labor is treated as worthless, it lowers the floor for everyone. Capitalists use the devaluation of women's work to justify cutting wages, slashing benefits and demanding more from all workers.”
Gallo continued, “The struggles of women, workers and oppressed nationalities are not separate fights. They are all fronts in the battle against our common enemy – monopoly capitalism and the ruling class that profits from exploitation at home and abroad. When we can build an alliance between the labor movement and the liberation movements of oppressed people, we will have the power to win.”