Tampa marches for International Women’s Day

Tampa, FL – On Sunday, March 8, over 100 people marched through downtown Tampa for International Women’s Day. The march started and ended at Tampa City Hall.

Organized by the Tampa Immigrants’ Rights Committee, the event featured an organization fair and speakers from eight different organizations. The crowd chanted “No fear, no hate, no ICE in our state,” “Money for jobs and education, not for war and deportation” and “My body my choice,” receiving enthusiastic support from passing by drivers and pedestrians.

Stephanie Yocum, president of the West Central Florida Labor Council, talked about the militant working-class women who created International Women’s Day, stating, “Today belongs to working women past and present, to those who demand dignity at work, to those who understand that justice in jobs is justice in life, and to those who continue that struggle today.”

Yocum also highlighted Florida Senate Bill 1296 which would raise the threshold for union recertification. This bill passed the Florida Senate on Friday, March 6. Like many other anti-union legislations in Florida, this one also does not apply to police, firefighters or correctional officers.

Yunqing Zheng from TampaIRC said, “we demand justice for women killed by increased border militarization, and we demand no ICE in our communities. Women and young girls in detention centers suffer from sexual assault to sterilization to medical neglect including denial of life saving care and postpartum care. We saw this happen in Tampa with Heidi Sanchez and Mabelyn Hernandez-Diaz who were detained while still nursing.” They also demanded justice for Renee Good, whose killer – Jonathan Ross – has yet to be charged and convicted.

“Building the fight against Trump and his agenda is crucial to fighting women’s oppression,” said Victoria Hinckley of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We also demand no war with Iran! We refuse to believe the lies being told to us by the ruling class that the bombs the U.S. drop on Iran is somehow liberating for women.”

The event also featured speakers from Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society, Tampa Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Tampa Democratic Socialists of America, and Hillsborough Young Democrats.

#TampaFL #FL #InternationalWomensDay #ImmigrantRights #WomensMovement