NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Andrea
Capachietti speaks at a celebration of International
Women’s Day on Friday.
By Marion Wise
Daily Bruin Contributor
Passionate speakers and colorful performances engaged an
audience of about 150 at the Tom Bradley International Hall on
Friday night in honor of women’s rights and International
Women’s Day.
The night’s festivities included a full-course meal,
speeches, female-produced art and performances by on-campus
women’s groups.
“The radical message of the first international day should
still be with us in the 21st century,” said women’s
studies Professor Christine Littleton during the program.
International Women’s Day, first celebrated in the United
States on Feb. 28, 1909, was subsequently held on the last Sunday
of February in following years. In 1917, however, Russian women
held a March 8 strike for “bread and peace” after 2
million Russian soldiers were killed in war ““ and since then,
all celebration has occurred on that day.
Among the 12 sponsors of UCLA’s fifth annual celebration
of International Women’s Day were the Dashew International
Center, the Women’s Studies Program, the Center for Women and
Men and the Center for Intercultural Performance.
One of four speakers, Littleton talked about the history of the
women’s rights movement and the importance of the day.
According to Littleton, studies show the need of aiding women
around the world.
“Educate the women and the entire society’s standard
of living will improve,” Littleton said. “It is women
who do the work of the world.”
Andrea Capachietti, humanitarian aid consultant for Direct
Relief International, addressed difficulties that women refugees
face.
“The women that I work with are the primary caretakers,
even though they’re refugees. These same women have been
subject to torture, rape, prostitution,” Capachietti
said.
The latter half of the evening involved performances by
women’s groups on campus, such as the Chinese Cultural Dance
Club, UCLA Bulgarian Women’s Choir, Akimbo Movement Theater
and Grupo Folklórico de UCLA. Each group presented a brief
show, incorporating the theme of women’s issues while
teaching the audience about their group’s traditions.
The Bulgarian Women’s Choir, part of the ethnomusicology
department, performed pieces about love, politics and arranged
marriages.
“(The event) seemed to fit perfectly because it’s
about women and it’s an international event. The choir
happens to be Bulgarian, but the themes are universal,” said
Eleanor Lipat, a second-year ethnomusicology graduate student who
was part of the choir.
In his first year planning the event, Jeremy Wintringer decided
to incorporate a dinner in the program, with hopes of reaching out
to a broader audience.
“This year is the first year we did the dinner. This was
definitely a big step forward,” Wintringer said.
Mariana Corzo, director of programs for the International
Center, said the event interested a variety of campus groups.
“I was really glad that so many groups came out to this
event. One thing that was needed was to bring in people from
different departments,” Corzo said. “And I’m also
thankful for all the women artists who brought their
art.”
Los Angeles residents who attended the event included Georgetown
graduate Natasha Basely.
“I’m from the Soviet Union and as a child, my dad
used to buy my mom and me flowers every March 8. It’s such a
great holiday; I’ve really been trying to revive it,”
Basely said.
“(The program) was such an incredible representation of
different societies and cultures. It was just really powerful on
every sense ““ from sight to sound,” she continued.