‘We’re not just individuals’: GCC event brings people together for International Women’s Day

GREENFIELD — In recognition of International Women’s Day, residents gathered at Greenfield Community College on Saturday for historical reflection and interactive activities focusing on women’s stories, while advocating for women’s rights.

“At a time when our inner flames feel affected by everything that’s going on in the world, what we’re going to do today is build our flames back,” the Rev. Sarah Pirtle said as she opened the gathering in GCC’s Core Lobby.

The event was led by Pirtle and an ensemble that included Roberta Wilmore, Swansea Benham Bleicher, Jessica Gile, Carol Sartz and Peggy Huang.

Benham Bleicher, who directed the Northampton Parents Center for 20 years, spoke about the global significance of International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8. The observance is now in its 115th year. More than 100 delegates from 17 countries helped organize the first celebration, which drew an estimated 1 million participants worldwide.

“At a time when our inner flames feel affected by everything that’s going on in the world, what we’re going to do today is build our flames back.”

The Rev. Sarah Pirtle

The day continues to be recognized across the globe, with Benham Bleicher pointing to observances in countries such as Afghanistan, Germany, Russia and Ukraine. She also referenced a call from Cambodia’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs advocating for a “feminist future where no one is left behind.”

Gile, a former English as a second language teacher, expanded on the history of the day, describing a March 8, 1908 demonstration in New York City when women garment workers marched through the Lower East Side to protest child labor and sweatshop conditions while demanding the right to vote. She noted that large demonstrations tied to women’s rights continue today, including the nationwide Women’s March in January 2017, which drew more than 3 million participants across the United States.

Wilmore, a life coach, said Saturday’s gathering was “not a big presentation or a concert or a speech.” Rather, she said, “It’s really just a chance for us to be together,” while providing a safe environment for sharing, which Wilmore and Pirtle called “a safe container.”

“The idea of a safe container is having a place where we can connect with what’s already inside of us, a place that feels safe, where we can think about who we are, who we’ve always been and who we can be,” Wilmore said.

Several influential women from different fields and eras were highlighted during the event, including civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, composer Florence Price, educator Maria Montessori, civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin and children’s advocate Marian Wright Edelman.

Huang spoke about both Hamer and Price, reflecting on their impact and the challenges they faced. While discussing Hamer’s role in the civil rights movement, Huang repeated the activist’s well-known words, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”

Price was recognized for overcoming both gender and racial barriers to become the first Black woman whose symphonic work was performed by a major American orchestra in 1933, while Montessori was highlighted as Italy’s first female physician and founder of the Montessori method of education. Colvin was remembered for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Alabama at age 15, an act of protest that happened months before the more widely known bus protest by Rosa Parks.

Music was central to the event, with songs and instruments used throughout the afternoon to help participants connect and reflect on the women being honored. Huang, a student musician, performed a cello piece by composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, while Benham Bleicher also played violin. Sartz, who previously taught at GCC’s Early Childhood Department, played the drums while speaking about the long history of women drummers in ancient cultures.

Participants joined in during several songs, including a call and response piece about women around the world with lines like “Somewhere out there … a woman is grieving … a woman is dreaming … a woman is teaching.”

The group also joined in a chant repeating the line, “We are the turning of the tide,” followed by another song with the repeated line, “Gather your courage into your heart.”

Several interactive moments invited participants to reflect. During one activity, attendees walked around the room while singing as two participants carried paper birds with words such as “transformation,” “honor” and “healing” written on them.

The event concluded with a small group activity in which participants shared stories about women who had influenced their lives and why those figures were important. Attendees were encouraged to bring an object representing that person to help guide discussion. Stories shared among attendees references family members, mentors, teachers and community members whose examples shaped participants’ values and paths.

Organizers also held a long golden ribbon while reflecting on the generations of women who came before them and the lives they lived, using it as a symbol of connection across time.

Pirtle said the moment was meant to remind the crowd that they are part of something larger than themselves.

“We’re not just individuals,” she said. “We’re part of a long line of people who care about justice, people who have made life strong. When we live from that, it adds so much to our lives.”