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Page 12 The Skanner March 8, 2017 News Women Go on Strike in US to Show Their Economic Clout By ERRIN HAINES WHACK Associated Press P H I L A DE L P H I A— Some American women stayed home from work, joined rallies or wore red to demonstrate their eco- nomic clout Wednesday as part of a multitude of International Women’s Day events held around the globe. The Day Without a Woman protest in the U.S. was put together by organizers of the vast women’s marches that drew more than 1 mil- lion Americans into the streets the day after Pres- ident Donald Trump’s in- auguration. The turnout this time appeared in many plac- es to be far smaller. And there were no immediate estimates of how many women heeded the call to skip work. A crowd of about 1,000 people, the vast majority of them women, gathered on Fifth Avenue in the shadow of Trump Tower to demonstrate. Women dressed in red and waved signs reading “Neverthe- less she persisted,” ‘’Mi- sogyny out of the White House now” and “Resist like a girl.” “Trump is terrifying. His entire administra- tion, they have no re- spect for women or our rights,” said 49-year-old Adina Ferber, who took a vacation day from her job at an art gallery to at- tend the demonstration. “They need to deal with us as an economic force.” Rallies were also planned in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Washington and Berke- ley, California. Some businesses and institu- tions said they would ei- ther close or give female employees the day off. School in such places as Prince George’s County, Maryland; Alexandria, Virginia; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina, canceled classes after hundreds of teachers and other employees let it be known they would be out. In Providence, Rhode Island, the munic- ipal court closed for lack of staff members. The U.S. event — in- spired in part by the Day Without an Immigrant protest held last month — The Anatomy of TheSkanner.com Community and World News at your fingertips LOCAL events TOP NEWS stories of the moment The latest LOCAL news BRIEFS Recent PHOTOS Top PORTLAND & SEATTLE news HAND PICKED videos Top NATIONAL & WORLD news TOPICAL commentary Real-time TWEETS AFRICAN AMERICANS in the news MOVIES, TV, BOOKS... Kam William’s reviews, trailers, news Real-time FACEBOOK posts AP PHOTO/MATT ROURKE Organizers of January’s Women’s March called for ‘Day Without a Woman’ strike Teacher Pia Martin greets students as they arrive to school at the Science Leadership Academy as teachers take part in “A Day Without a Woman” demonstration in Philadelphia, Wednesday, March 8, 2017. Organizers of January’s Women’s March are calling on women to stay home from work and not spend money in stores or online to show their impact on American society. was part of the U.N.-des- ignated International Women’s Day. In Rome, hundreds of women set off on a march from the Colosseum to demand equal rights. Germany’s Lufthansa airline had six all-female crews flying from sever- al cities in the country to Berlin. Sweden’s women’s soc- “ quiet,” she said. “I also wanted to make a state- ment to say that women are doing it for them- selves. We’re out here in the workforce and mak- ing a difference every day.” Trump took to Twitter and asked others to join him in “honoring the critical role of women” in the U.S. and around the Trump is terrifying. His en- tire administration, they have no respect for women or our rights. They need to deal with us as an economic force cer team replaced the names on the backs of their jerseys with tweets from Swedish women. Finland announced a new $160,000 Interna- tional Gender Equality Prize. Women also held rallies in Tokyo and Ma- drid. In New York, a stat- ue of a fearless-looking girl was placed in front of Wall Street’s famous charging bull sculpture. The girl appeared to be staring down the ani- mal. A plaque at her feet read: “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference.” As part of the Day Without a Woman pro- test, women were also urged to refrain from shopping. Some criticized the strike, warning that many women cannot af- ford to miss work or find child care. Organizers asked those unable to skip work to wear red in solidarity. Monique LaFonta Le- one, a 33-year-old health care consultant in Colo- rado Springs, Colorado, had to work but put on a red shirt and donat- ed to charity, including Planned Parenthood. “I have bills to pay, but I wanted to make my voice heard, no matter how world. He tweeted that he has “tremendous respect for women and the many roles they serve that are vital to the fabric of our society and our econo- my.” Lovely Monkey Tat- too, a female-owned tat- too parlor in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, offered female-centric tattoos with messages like “Nev- ertheless, She Persist- ed” — a reference to the recent silencing of Sen. Elizabeth Warren on the Senate floor — for $50 to $100, with proceeds going to Planned Parent- hood. Women make up more than 47 percent of the U.S. workforce and are dominant among nurs- es, dental assistants, ca- shiers, accountants and pharmacists, according to the census. They make up at least a third of physicians and surgeons, and the same with lawyers and judges. Women also represent 55 percent of all college students. At the same time, American women earn 80 cents for every dollar a man makes. The me- dian income for women was $40,742 in 2015, com- pared with $51,212 for men, according to census data.
