Women’s Strike NYC/Paro de Mujeres NYC held a Street Fest in Washington Square Park on Sunday, March 8, 2020.

The organization put on the fest in celebration of International Women’s Day and highlighted the struggles of women, trans, and nonbinary workers in fields including (but not limited to): food processing and farmworkers, home care attendants, sex workers, and street vendors. Participants joined millions globally who also rallied in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Poland, Germany, and other countries.

“Our goal is to build an anti-capitalist, feminist network,” event hosts Frank BZ and LJ Amsterdam said in unison.

The festival began with a procession around Washington Square Park where participants carried home-made signs and shouted the chant: “Our bodies, our labor, our streets!” During and following the march, NYC-based-all-women Brazilian band Fogo Azul performed for the crowd.

The NYC chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America co-hosted the event. I I Photo credit to Hannah Mallard

Frank BZ took the stage after Fogo Azul’s display and outlined the schedule for the remainder of the event.

“Each speaker, performance, and workshop we have today will represent one of the four axes of struggle which are: reproductive justice, the battle over labor, systemic violence against women and feminized bodies, and reclaiming the commons,” Frank BZ said.

On the outskirts of the crowd were vendors and tables occupied by the event’s sponsors and co-hosts which ranged from the Street Vendors Project to the Democratic Socialists of America, and GLITS (Gay and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society), to name a few. Representatives from the Street Vendors Project set up a table and approached festival participants with postcards.

“Today we are trying to get at least 500 signatures and postcards to send to Corey Johnson. We want him to help lift the bans on permits for street vending,” Estella, a representative of the organization, said.

Participants marched around Washington Square Park with homemade signs. I I Photo credit to Hannah Mallard

Democrat Corey Johnson is the Speaker of the New York City Council.

In the grass area of Washington Square Park, Dominatrix Ashley Paige and Mistress Master Leigh administered a workshop on power and consent; a few feet away, the organization, Brides’ March, facilitated a discussion on gender and gender-based violence.

“Today we are going to talk about negotiating consent between intimate partners, especially in the bedroom,” Paige began.

The Women’s Strike Street Fest took place from 1 to 4 p.m. and attracted a large crowd of onlookers and participants.

Celebrating International Women’s Day, Street Fest Style