International Women’s Day celebrates women’s contributions
Mar 8, 2018, 4:10 AM | Updated: 9:13 am
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
PHOENIX – Thursday marks International Women’s Day, a time to support gender equality. But for Eva Louis, it’s also about celebrating the contributions of women.
“It’s really to me more about what women contribute collaboratively with everybody in society to make things better,” she said.
The founder of AZ International Women’s Day, Louis said women are overcoming a number of barriers but some challenges remain, including a need for more support systems that help women grow and move up the career ladder.
“There has been some struggle in Arizona,” she said. “But I actually see that changing because of the effort being put forth toward education and bringing women together through workshops and conferences.”
Louis is organizing one of those conferences that is taking place this Saturday, March 10 at the Arizona Apparel Foundation in Tempe. This year’s theme is “Press for Progress.”
“The theme is really about bringing people together and working collaboratively irrespective of gender … to contribute to society and also pave the way for others,” she said.
The conference will shine a spotlight on two nonprofits that provide assistance to women veterans and their families. A total of 11 speakers will also be there.
Other events similar to Louis’ event are taking place throughout the day on Thursday, including one hosted by SRP where Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams and Phoenix Fire Chief Kara Kalkbrenner will speak about climbing the ranks to become the first women leaders in their departments.
More details about the conference are available online.
