At noon, in honor of International Women’s Day, several of us snuck out of the office for a bit to attend the “Join Me on the Bridge” March in Washington DC, hosted by our friends at the Enough Project and Women for Women International. After grabbing signs and t-shirts, the crowd began its march down Memorial Drive, across the Memorial Bridge, and to the Watergate Steps at the base of the Lincoln Memorial. There, we sat on the steps and listened to Candice Knezvic of RAISE Hope for Congo, Andree Simon of WFWI, Sylvie Muanga Mbanga, a Congolese human rights lawyer, and Seema Jalan of Women Thrive speak about what the day meant to them.
Melissa & Teresa at "Join Me on the Bridge" in DC
We heard about the struggles of women and girls in the Congo, Rwanda and beyond, many of whom have been intimidated, tortured and raped due to their gender. We heard about the heroic acts of women and men fighting for an end to sexual violence within their own countries and communities. And, looking around at everyone who had come out to march on a workday, we saw the faces of activism in our city.
Over 100 people marched across the Memorial Bridge
Afterwards, our staff gathered together to “share a special meal” – one of our actions to mark the day. Catherine, SDC’s Grants Liason and Field Coordinator, was the only one who had made a truly Sudanese recipe – the Yogurt and Tahini Dip – but homemade hummus, chicken and cupcakes made the group a happy one.
We wrote to our Congress(wo)men asking them to restore SGBV services
We then all settled down to write letters to our representatives about sexual violence in Sudan (those of us who live in DC and are Representative-less wrote straight to Secretary Clinton). We agreed that the United States needs to lead the charge to fully restore services for Sudanese women, particularly in the areas of food security, protection and gender-based violence.
Some of the letters we wrote
And a bit futher away, men and women came together in solidarity on a bridge that crosses from Rwanda to the Democratic Republic of Congo. They made a statement that, as neighbors, the lives of Rwandan and Congolese women are tied together, that peace and progress for one can lead to the same for the other. The relationship between us in the United States and our sisters in Sudan, while geographically disparate, is similarly interrelated – as Americans, we are caught in King’s “inescapable network of mutuality,” called to help when we are able and to raise our voices when we witness injustice. If you want to get involved in the movement to fight for women’s rights in Sudan, check out our International Women’s Day actions, which can be done throughout the month of March, or email us at women@savedarfur.org. Let’s make International Women’s Day last all year.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Tags: Activism, Hillary Clinton, Human Rights, International Women's Day, Violence Against Women, Washington DC
