Since 1911 the United States has celebrated the month of March as National Women’s History month.  Globally women are honored on March 8 for International Women’s Day. This year I attended one of the events celebrating International Women’s Day which took place on March 5 and was presented by the Northwest Film Forum and faculty and students from University of Washington Bothell. The event included three different portions.

The first portion was a film screening which showcased many different scenes from films directed by women. In between clips, there was a theater performance. The performances illustrated different forms of challenges faced by women directors because of their gender.

The second portion of this event included a Panel Discussion on the topics of Policing Women and Generating Justice. The panel included women from different fields, occupations, backgrounds, race, and sexuality. The discussion was started  by acknowledging the challenge women face in order to make decisions and have rights to their own bodies. An example was abortion, the right to make a choice. The conversation progressed by discussing everyday challenges of Trans Women of Color, recognizing that Trans Women of Color are victims of violence and brutality.

The third and last portion of this event was a Poetry and Fiction Reading led by student and faculty in the Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing & Poetics from the University of Washington Bothell. The discussion surrounded the themes of sexuality, gender, race and  legality. All together the event took an interdisciplinary approach to surveying challenges and inequality faced by women throughout time.

More information on this event can be found at: http://www.nwfilmforum.org/live/page/calendar/3876