Tampa, FL – Activists from Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), the Committee to Stop FBI Repression and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) gathered here, March 8, to celebrate International Women’s Day. At this event, representatives from each group talked about the radical roots of International Women’s Day and spoke about Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian-American leader facing jail and deportation for on trumped-up immigration charges.

Jessica Schwartz from SDS presented on the history of women’s resistance in the U.S. “When teaching women’s liberation or feminism in the U.S., the starting point cited tends to center on women’s suffrage, but indigenous women in the Americas who fought against colonialism and continue to fight against white supremacy are the true foremothers of women’s liberation,” she said. “We cannot detach the struggle of the workers, oppressed nationalities and others from women’s liberation.”

Marisol Marquez from the FRSO delivered a passionate speech about the importance of International Women’s Day. Marquez mentioned the fact that the day was started in 1910 by German socialist Clara Zetkin and reminded listeners that this day should not be co-opted by the rich and powerful.

“We hear in the U.S. how women like Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and even Laura Bush are women that we should all strive to be. To that, I have one very important fact to note: all of these women represent an extension of their partners; the promoters of the U.S. imperialist-driven agenda of taking over oppressed countries like Palestine, Colombia, the Philippines and Mexico to name a few.” She also talked about how, out of the 23 activists who were raided by the FBI or subpoenaed to a grand jury in 2010, many were women.

Everyone in attendance signed the Committee to Stop FBI Repression’s petition to drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh.

#TampaFL #InternationalWomensDay #FreedomRoadSocialistOrganization #RasmeaOdeh