IRVINE : UCI Women’s Day Celebration Begins

Three UC Irvine students have organized what they believe is the university’s first weeklong celebration of International Women’s Day.

The week begins today with dramatic readings by college students dressed as famous women. Several local elementary school teachers are planning to bring their classes to the noon event, said Kailin Liang, an event organizer.

Also invited are guest speakers--including Board of Supervisors Chairman Harriett M. Wieder and a panel of women with disabilities.

Films and a quilt depicting minority women will be on display at the student center.

All events are open to the public.

International Women’s Day commemorates a 1908 march in New York City in which women and their supporters demanded the right to vote and an end to child labor in the city’s garment district.

In past years, Soviet women observed the day by fasting, and Roman women marched to protest rape.

Liang said the theme of the UCI celebration is “A New Beginning.”

“We have a new president and a new first lady we’re very proud of,” Liang said. “We have a new administrator at UCI and more women moving into positions of power and authority.”

Here’s a guide to what’s happening:

* Today: From noon to 1:30 p.m., several college students will dress as famous women from history or the present. They will march around campus, stopping at the flagpole in front of the administration building. They will read poems and other material. From 5 to 7:30 p.m., “The Color Purple” will be shown at the student center.

* Tuesday: From noon to 2 p.m., keynote speaker Mitsuye Yamada, a poet and lecturer who lives in Irvine, will address the audience at the student center. Yamada, who is the founder of a national association called Multicultural Women Writers, has prepared a speech called “A New Beginning.” From 5 to 7:30 p.m., “The Handmaid’s Tale” will be shown at the student center.

* Wednesday: From 1 to 1:45 p.m., career counselors will be available at the Women’s Resource Center. From 2 to 3 p.m., Supervisor Wieder will speak at the student center about what it means to be female and a politician. From 3:30 to 5 p.m., UCI professors and lecturers will speak at the student center about their struggles as women in academia. They will talk about how the school’s budget cuts have affected them and offer advice to women about careers in education.

* Thursday: From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., career counselors will speak at the student center. From 1 to 3 p.m., women from “unsung hero” jobs will speak at the student center about what they do. Scheduled speakers are from a homeless women’s shelter, a YWCA clinic for battered women and other volunteer organizations. From 3 to 4 p.m., a real estate professional and other career women will speak at the student center about their experiences. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., “Fried Green Tomatoes” will be shown at the student center.

* Friday: From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a panel of disabled women will speak at the student center. From 1 to 3 p.m., members of the UCI Women’s Studies faculty will discuss at the student center their struggle to become an official department, which happened this year. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., “Thelma & Louise” will be shown at the student center.

* All week: A quilt stitched by students in a “Women of Color” class will be at the student center.