This Wednesday, International Women’s Day also happens to be #adaywithoutawoman. Last month, the folks behind the Women’s March on Washington announced plans for a nationwide women’s strike. Although there’s been some criticism of the march, it’s soldiering forth in defending reproductive rights, LBGTQIA rights, the rights of people with disabilities, and immigrant rights, among many others. Organizers are calling on women to 1) take the day off from work if possible, 2) wear red, and 3) refrain from spending money unless the business is small or female-owned. Here in New York, there are a number of ways to show solidarity.
The Women’s Lab Breakfast Series
8:30pm to 10pm at Center for Social Innovation, 601 W. 26th St., Chelsea.
This is the first day of a monthly women’s breakfast series featuring influential speakers at the top of their field. The first will be Shruti Ganguly, a filmmaker who was VP of TV and video at Nylon and has has run the video departments at MTV and Vogue/Conde Nast.
Women’s March
Noon at 5th Avenue and 59th St., Upper East Side.
Just like the Women’s march in Washington, this one will be an opportunity for all people to come together to show solidarity for equal rights.
Women Box Free
All day at Overthrow NYC, 9 Bleecker St., East Village.
“Men pay! Women Box Free!” Overthrow, the gym with the “knockout Trump” truck, is offering complimentary spots to female walk-ins on a first-come, first-serve basis all day long.
International Women’s Day Celebration at Mayday Space
Mayday Space, 176 St. Nicholas Ave., 3rd Fl., Bushwick.
This day of raffles, music, and food will feature a Bollywood performance by Mohamed A. Amin (aka Zaman) as well as inspiration and advice from guest speakers Angie Bastian, co-founder of the BOOMCHICKAPOP popcorn brand, and Tonia Hardy, the homeless women who raised three track stars.
#BeBoldForChange Pop-Up
Noon to 6:30pm, Tictail, 90 Orchard St., Lower East Side.
Sure, there’s a shopping strike going on, but proceeds from the sale of Refinery 29 merch and the personalized Keds painted by artist Jen Mussari will go to She Should Run, an org dedicated to putting women in positions political power.
International Women’s Strike
4pm at Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village.
The International Women’s Strike is a coalition of many different of grassroots groups. There will first be a rally in Washington Square Park with a variety of artistic performances, including “La Alfombra Roja,” an art piece that discusses the “terrible effects of the patriarchy on women’s lives.” The rally will then move down towards Zuccotti Park, stopping along the way for other performances. Both Women’s March and International Women’s Strike are working together, so feel free to join them both.
OutsmartNYC
3pm to 6pm at Suffolk Arms, 269 E Houston St, Lower East Side.
OutsmartNYC, a collective of nightlife staff, patrons, and activists who are committed to “ending sexual violence in nightlife spaces,” hosts this evening of cocktails, live music, food and poetry.
New Women Space
6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 188 Woodpoint Rd, East Williamsburg.
Take advantage of reduced admission ($10 for the day) and free coffee or tea at this space where women can “receive wellness, cultivate your project or business, and work collaboratively.”
NOW NYC
All day at 150 W. 28th St. Suite 304, Chelsea.
The National Organization for Women invites everyone to stop by the offices of the largest chapter in the country to find out more about how it defends reproductive rights, fights economic inequality and violence and harassment against women.
“Nudie” Art Show
All day at The Woods, 48 South 4th St., Williamsburg.
This show at Williamsburg bar The Woods features artists like Savannah Jankosky, Chloe Seroussi, Jenniflower, and Tasha Gear “celebrating body diversity and the female form.” Proceeds from Monday’s opening went to Planned Parenthood.
M8 Queer Dance Party March in the Streets
9:30pm at Stonewall Inn, 63 Christopher St., West Village.
“Fuck deportation! Long live the queer dance party!” is the rallying cry for this “militant” after-party for the Women’s March. Tune your radio to 99.5 and show solidarity for “all our people facing gender, state and economic violence.”
BYO Art for International Women’s Day
9pm to 11pm at The Living Gallery, 1094 Broadway, Bushwick.
Women artists are invited to bring a piece of art to hang on the walls of The Living Gallery, which won’t be taking a cut from sales. Among the performers are Squidssidy, a “freak-folk” duo featuring B+B’s own Cassidy Dawn Graves.
The International Women’s Strike page also has a rundown of events including self-defense classes, sign-making sessions, a know-your-rights workshop with the National Lawyers Guild, and a variety of workshops with professionals and academics. You can also join in remotely via a virtual women’s strike hosted by Women for Justice.