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The relentless quest for equality for women was heavily promoted and celebrated on Thurs., Aug. 24, outside the Red Barn here at the University of Louisville.
Dancers, performers and advocates from the community and all over the world congregated in a magnificent celebration for women’s rights.
It was apparent the event was in the making for two months, as numerous groups gathered together to display their support of women’s rights and the ongoing struggle for justice and equality. The events were sponsored by the Women’s Center here at U of L and the Student Activities Board.
Dancers from the Middle East and Africa highlighted the performances, as their authentic dances caught more than just a glimpse of the general passerby. This was the 10th annual fair commemorating the 19th Amendment, passed with hefty promotion by Woodrow Wilson and numerous women’s organizations, granting women the right to vote. It is also a celebration to inform citizens of the current struggle to achieve equal rights for all women.
The outspoken and powerful Madame Harlina Churn-Diallo, the founder and artistic director of Imani Dance and Drum Company, performed first as a woman who preached for other women to stand up and be proud of their gender. “Do not take lightly being a woman, don’t be afraid to stand up!” said Churn-Diallo.
Participants from the crowd joined in on a West African dance conducted by Churn-Diallo, who is also the instructor of West African Dance and Modern Dance classes here at U of L. “The celebration of women needs to be on this campus, with the power and energy moving it forward,” said Churn-Diallo.
Spectators enjoyed the performances along with the abundance of free food provided. Edwine Hyacinthe, a junior psychology major, and originally from Haiti was quite appreciative of the event, as she has witnessed the struggle from two very opposite aspects. “Coming from a country (Haiti) where women are basically the cooks or the maids, but here everybody is involved and included. Here, women are given more opportunity than where I come from,” said Hyacinthe.
Unfortunately, many American citizens, especially the younger generations, glance past the opportunities they possess to make significant change in this country, such as voting in elections. Hyacinthe says that she takes “advantage of the opportunity,” for it is how she can voice herself here in America.
The events continued with dance performances by Jamilla Zaharan doing her native Middle Eastern dance and the Rwandan Community of Louisville Women’s Dance Group performing a traditional Rwandan dance. Another dancer from the Middle East, Kelai Creagh, finished off the dancing for the day.
Tables set up included the Women’s Center here at U of L, PEACC, the Jefferson County Clerk’s voter registration booth, Women In Transition, The Center for Women and Families, CommonGround, the Women’s Law Caucus, the Iroquois Branch Library, the Americana Community Center, and the ESSENCE program. All of these groups were praising the commemoration of the 19th Amendment and to show support for the rights of all women.
The events that took place were to “celebrate past victories and highlight issues that still need to be addressed,” said Jennifer Jewell, the Executive Director and one of the co-founders of Women In Transition. Her organization began in 1998 and works for impoverished citizens of America.
This event was “intended to remind us to pick up the struggle for justice in our world and to carry it forward,” said Mary Karen Powers, the Director of the Women’s Center at University of Louisville.
The events centered on not only the celebration of the Nineteenth amendment, but the promotion of voting in current times as well. Jeanna Benoy, the representative from the Jefferson County Clerk’s office proclaimed, “Your vote is the great equalizer!” Others such as JaBani Bennett, a graduate student and the Student Events Coordinator for the Women’s Center at U of L, vowed for voting as well, especially for women to be more involved. “We need to make the nation more inclusive, more representative, and more loving,” said Bennett.
American patriots such as Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Fanny Wright remain as underappreciated, yet highly pivotal figures in the advocating for women’s rights. In the early to mid 19th century, these women unremittingly, under excessive scrutiny, advocated for the right to vote for women in America. “These were simply ordinary people who dreamed of a more just world. Their cause was won. Be glad today,” said Powers.
When the banners were rolled up, the tables and chairs stacked, and the food put away, the words of Madame Harlina Churn-Diallo ring with the sounds of equality and justice for all humankind: “If you feed and teach a woman, you feed and teach a nation.”
