The rain clouds did little to deter the crowds on Saturday afternoon as throngs descended upon the Vancouver Art Gallery’s grounds to take part in the International Women’s Day march and celebration.
The event, now in its third year, kicked off at 1 p.m. at the gallery’s north plaza.
“This is the first year we’ve had it where it’s rained this much, so it’s really quite an incredible testament to how important today is for the women of Vancouver, the people of Vancouver, to come out and show their support,” said Yasmin Simsek, volunteer chair and founder of Vancouver’s event.
“I think we had around 250 people, which is more than double what we had last year.”
Two knowledge keepers from the Musqueam Nation opened the event with a land acknowledgement, before 10 separate speakers each took to the podium to deliver speeches that championed the contribution of women and girls and discussed the difficulties they continue to face.
Among those on the billing were representatives from the DTES Women’s Centre, the Independent Jewish Voices group, the Society for Advocacy for Gender-Affirming Healthcare, and the WISH women’s drop-in centre.
Many members of the crowd had been so stirred by the words spoken that they had told event organizers it was the “most incredible lineup” of event speakers they had seen come together for such an event, said Simsek.
Speakers touched on the ongoing threats faced by Indigenous girls and women, the fears surrounding women’s rights amid President Donald Trump’s return to power, and the issues currently being reported by women in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“It was very sombre during the speeches, there were so many wonderful speakers that were just sharing their own lives. It was really heartbreaking, to be honest,” says Simsek.
“I saw quite a few tears in the audience.”
Within the plaza a sign-making station had been set up so passers-by were able to get involved and march-goers could ensure their own particular thoughts and concerns were voiced, while other stations sold merchandise to fundraise for the participating organizations.
After the speeches the march promptly got underway at Howe Street, where it continued throughout the downtown area filling the streets with loud chants and vibrant placards.
“I got goosebumps,” says Simsek.
“It was very cool to see everyone get into it; you could feel the empowerment through the area... It was incredible.”
