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Mustang Justice students to march for women’s rights on International Women’s Day

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Students from L.A. Matheson Secondary’s Mustang Justice group will be downtown this weekend for the Vancouver International Women’s Day march and rally, showing their support for women around the world in the global campaign’s collective efforts to end gender-based violence.

Teacher Annie Ohana, who is the school’s equity co-department head and founder of Mustang Justice, is one of this year’s speakers at the march and will be joined onstage by students from Mustang Justice’s Intersectional Feminist Club to celebrate and amplify women’s voices.

“This is a very intersectional feminist rally and it’s meant to support all women, all types of women,” said Ohana. “The idea is that it’s youth-driven, and so my hope is that Mustang Justice, through our students, will provide more of a youth perspective on what International Women’s Day means and is about.”

International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of women around the world and shed light on issues of gender equality, reproductive rights and domestic violence, among other challenges. Surrey Schools recognizes International Woman’s Day as significant in furthering women’s rights and raising awareness of global issues that women face.

Mustang Justice participates in many initiatives to support women, girls and marginalized groups year-round:

  • On Feb. 14, students attended the 34th annual Women’s Memorial March, dedicated to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people.
  • Also in February, students collaborated with the Network to Eliminate Violence in Relationships to host the youth section of the One Billion Rising Anti-Violence Community Fair at the school, with this year’s event centred on somatic groundwork and breathwork for inner power.
  • Additionally, L.A. Matheson students will be part of the 12th annual Hands Up Against Racism action at Surrey City Hall on March 21, furthering the intersectional work of Mustang Justice for women and girls.

Ohana emphasized the importance of giving students a voice in events like International Women’s Day to stand up against the marginalization of women and girls locally and globally. She said she hopes that by seeing students share their lived experiences in broader discourse of women’s issues that others will come away with the impact of their testimonials.

“I want them to know youth can have some control over what goes on in the world, that they can empower themselves and their families,” said Ohana. “I work in a school that is full of a lot of marginalities, and instead of always feeling like we’re behind or victims, rather, it’s to then say, ‘What can we do? How can we help others?’ We have the privilege of free education, and there’s something beautiful there that they can then use their learning to affect change.

“To see them in action, and to see community members see them in action is really important – a youth voice always matters to anything we’re doing in society.”

For International Women’s Day, teachers in classrooms and schools across Surrey and White Rock are sharing resources with students to learn more about the women’s rights movement as well as the ongoing social, cultural, political and economical challenges of women today.

District staff have compiled a number of classroom resources and articles for International Women’s Day from all around the world. These resources include:

For more information on International Women’s Day, visit internationalwomensday.com

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School District No.36 (Surrey)