Detroit WWP hosts women’s speakout

International Women’s Day was commemorated in Detroit on March 11 at a women’s speakout for justice and liberation, hosted by the women of Workers World Party. The event started with a delicious meal and desserts prepared by men comrades and friends. This was a program where only women, including trans, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming women, could speak on whatever topic or struggle they chose. The men listened, learned and played a supportive role.

Kayla Pauli, a skilled-trades
apprentice and WWP youth organizer, kicked off the speakout by giving a history of the working-class and socialist origins of IWD. Yvonne Jones, of the Detroit Association of Retired and Active Employees, talked about community leaders making a difference. Baheejah Shakoor, a retired nurse who refused orders to go to war in Iraq, spoke about the movie “Hidden Figures” and about providing youth with needed skills.

Other women talked about the impact of domestic violence and racism; Indigenous leader Berta Cáceres, who was assassinated last year in Honduras; women’s oppression in class society; why all working-class women are needed to help overthrow capitalism; keeping up the fight against foreclosures and utility shutoffs; the struggles facing transgender women; the important roles women carry out in socialist Cuba and how to help stop the U.S. blockade; and much more. Shown here are some of the participants.