UPDATE: A large, energetic crowd turned out today for Washington, D.C.’s Join Me on the Bridge event. All over the world, women and men commemorated International Women’s Day by gathering on bridges to send the message that we must join together and work collectively to end global violence against women. Here are some photos from our event on D.C.’s Memorial Bridge, with more to come tomorrow.
9:30 a.m. — It’s a beautiful morning in Washington, D.C., with temperatures predicted to be near 60? by the time we gather on Memorial Bridge to celebrate International Women’s Day today at noon. Join Me on the Bridge is a global event organized by Women for Women International to honor the resilience of millions of women survivors of war around the world.
Enough’s RAISE Hope for Congo campaign teamed up with Women for Women International to host the D.C. event, which will highlight the victories and the challenges women face in Congo. Featured speakers will include:
Sylvie Maunga Mbanga, Congolese human rights lawyer
Jimmie Briggs, Executive Director, Man Up Campaign: Stop Violence Against Women
Candice Knezevic, RAISE Hope for Congo Campaign Manager, Enough Project
Andrée Simon, President and COO, Women for Women International
Seema Jalan, Director of Global Development Policy, Women Thrive Worldwide
We’ll meet at noon at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at the end of Memorial Drive on the Virginia side of the bridge (Click here for a map and more details.) The closest metro stop is Arlington Cemetery on the blue line. We will walk across the Memorial Bridge to the Watergate Steps at the base of the Lincoln Memorial, where our speakers will provide remarks. The event should finish around 1:30.
Please come and walk in solidarity with women around the world. If there isn’t a Bridge event taking place near you, here are some ideas of other ways to commemorate International Women’s Day. We’ll update this space this afternoon with photos from the event.