Activists rally for progressive policy on International Women’s Day

Several dozen activists gathered outside of South Station Monday afternoon for a rally honoring International Women’s Day.

A series of speakers — ranging from musicians to nurses to union organizers — called for equal pay between men and women, noted the disproportionate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mothers and emphasized the need for intersectionality.

Activists from the Boston May Day Coalition began gathering at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street shortly before 4:30 p.m., handing out flyers and chalking the pavement.

Dyani Tisdol, one of the event’s emcees, marked “A WOMAN BIRTHED YOU!” in pink lettering across the brick.

She introduced the afternoon’s first speaker, Jenelle Ambroise, whose son was hit by a police cruiser during a protest last year.

“We can do anything, like anyone else, just as good if not better,” Ambroise said to the cheering crowd. “Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming out to celebrate our women.”

Ambroise handed the megaphone off to Carla Sheffield. Her son, Burrell Ramsey-White, was killed by Boston police in 2012.

Sheffield emphasized the role of women in recent political action — including organizing the protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd last year.

“It gives me hope because I see all these women who are now taking all of these offers and being in the forefront to lead us to bigger and better things,” Sheffield said. “I hope as we continue to fight and things continue to change, that we fight for the things that are important, which are our basic rights: education, health care, to be protected and served by police officers.”

She closed by reading a poem about her son that was previously recited at a Saturday rally and march for George Floyd.

“You took my son without my permission, now I’m crying, fighting and wishing,” she said. “That justice be served, because if nothing else, it’s what I deserve. You pretend to protect and serve, you got a nerve.”

Additional speakers included a nurse — who said she left her position and began homeschooling her children when the pandemic began — and a doula — who spoke about the history of birth control in the United States and the origins of Planned Parenthood.

Susan McLucas of Massachusetts Peace Action said women have disproportionately faced the economic impacts of the pandemic.

“It seems like whenever anything happens, anything bad happens, it’s usually the women who suffer the most,” McLucas said.

She added that the celebration of International Women’s Day itself demonstrates disadvantages in society.

“I look forward to the day when there’s no point in having an International Women’s Day,” McLucas said. “We wouldn’t have an international men’s day.”

As she spoke, a shouting match broke out between members of the crowd and one passerby, who said the pandemic was a hoax and mocked attendees for wearing face coverings. The person was escorted away by Transit Police after one attendee attempted to strike them.

Another speaker, Hibah Nour of Boston’s Freedom Fighters Coalition, emphasized the importance of recognizing intersectional identities — drawing from her own experiences as a woman of color.

“As a Black woman, I am scared of the police and white supremacists because I see that they kill and incarcerate people that look like me,” Nour said. “That’s just one part of the struggle. As a Muslim woman, I often fear for being attacked for being visibly Muslim.”

Nour added that Black women, Black Muslim women and Black transgender women must be “protected at all costs.”

“To all the beautiful women here today, remember,” Nour said, “no man is big enough for our arms. I am a Black Muslim woman. I am billions.”

Local musician Haley Martin played a selection of original songs as the sun began to set. She had borrowed a phone with a tuner app offered by one of the attendees prior to her performance.

The crowd thinned slightly as the air cooled, but speeches continued by representatives from the Eastern Service Workers Association and the Boston chapter of Socialist Alternative.

Stepping to the mic just after 6:10 p.m., Jane Binkerd spoke on behalf of The People’s Party. She said the Democratic Party grows increasingly conservative each year and urged attendees to support independent candidates.

“Don’t let people say politics doesn’t matter,” Binkerd said. “Politics is everything. It affects every aspect of our lives, from the time we’re born until the time we die.”