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Rally-goers mark International Women's Day in downtown Manchester

A small crowd gathered at Veterans Park in Manchester Saturday to draw attention to women's issues for International Women's Day, Saturday, March 11, 2023.
Olivia Richardson
/
NHPR
A small crowd gathered at Veterans Park in Manchester Saturday to draw attention to women's issues for International Women's Day, Saturday, March 11, 2023.

Roughly 30 people gathered at Veterans Park in Manchester Saturday to mark International Women’s Day.

Organizers and attendees shared speeches about trans rights, advocating for incarcerated women and connecting worker’s rights to women’s rights.

Organizer Joy Robertson said the rally this year is different because there’s been a consciousness shift during the pandemic.

“Even in a state like New Hampshire, where often time its cold and people don’t come out, we want to hit the streets and highlight the organizations in this state that are doing work for the people and to unite the struggle of women and gender-oppressed people so they can start to see that all our struggles are one,” Robertson said.

Heather Stockwell is a healthcare campaign organizer at Rights and Democracy. She says she spends a lot of time talking to people about their healthcare experiences and thought it was important to show up to rally for women’s health issues.

“It’s more than just abortion for me, because I see a lot of women not being believed, being told they’re hysterical and not getting the access to the healthcare they need because they’re not taken seriously,” Stockwell said.

Stockwell said events like the weekend's gathering helps focus attention on the reality of what women face.

I’m a general assignment reporter, which means that I report on all kinds of different stories. But I am especially drawn to stories that spark curiosity and illustrate the complexities of how people are living and who they are. I’m also interested in getting to the “how” of how people live out their day-to-day lives within the policies, practices, and realities of the culture around them. How do you find community or make sure you’re represented in places of power? I’m interested in stories that challenge entrenched narratives and am drawn to covering arts and culture, as they can be a method of seeing how politics affects us.

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