Ladies! On March 8th, we hit the patriarchy where it hurts! Please remember that striking is a RIGHT that was fought for and won by the historically disenfranchised and NOT a form of bourgeois entitlement or elitist privilege. Labour rights are critical to healthy economies and societies. As a Canadian, as a woman, as a sentient being, I am deeply ashamed of the tepid route taken by WM Canada which has winsomely glossed over the International Women's Day Strike and with it, true engagement in issues of women's labour, economic disparity and insecurity in favour of what is largely, a curated shopping list. Social activism is disruptive and inconvenient. Social activism does not espouse the status quo. Social activism often implies sacrifice and is sometimes messy. Social activism is not a privilege. It is a necessity borne out of a moral imperative when faced with an imminent threat. Our diverse and intersecting identities as women affect our social and economic existences differently. In spite of this or because of this, we all have a significant role to play and everyone’s involvement signifies an equal commitment to the day. Our solidarity shatters capitalist and patriarchal stipulations that people's lives have different value. So, if you can...

1. Refrain from paid and unpaid work, including emotional labour and caregiving.

2. Refrain from shopping in stores or online. Exceptions include supporting small, local businesses and women-owned businesses and businesses that support women. Boycott misogynists and companies using sexism. (#GrabYourWallet has a list of corporations best avoided... yes, you too Canada... here's looking at you Hudson's Bay...)

3. Wear red in solidarity with the strike.

4. Ask male allies to lean into caregiving and use the day to call out decision-makers at the workplace and in the government to extend equal pay and adequate paid family leave.

5. Attend rallies and marches, support local groups, and build community. Find out about labour rights in your part of the world, organize and stand up against workers' rights abuses.

6. Strike from calcified gender roles and stereotyped identities. Interrogate the systems that created them, the hierarchies and power structures that maintain them. Confuse expectations. Disidentify.

#IStrike in honour of all of the loving, fighting women that came before. #IStrikeFor all of my seen and unseen, paid and unpaid sisters and gender oppressed peoples, especially those most vulnerable who are unable to join the strike.

More info:

https://www.womenstrikeus.org/

https://www.womensmarch.com/womensday

#DayWithoutAWoman #InternationalWomensStrike #WomensMarch #endgenderviolence #endeconomicinequality #reproductivejustice #labourrights #lgbtqiarights #indigenousrights #socialprovisioning #antiracism #antiimperialism #feminism #environmentaljustice #civildisobedience #grèveinternationaledesfemmes