On March 7th, 2025, Grace Pyka ‘05 of Alumni Relations, as well as the Student Foundation, kicked off the first week of Women’s History Month by hosting the International Women’s Day Reception event. It showed support for the women of Southwestern’s community and celebrated International Women’s Month, held every year on March 8th. The International Women’s Day Reception was held in the Bishop’s Lounge from 1 pm until 2:30 pm, with a program beginning at 1:30pm, featuring Dr. Alicia Moore presenting a powerful speech. That same day, the Sweet Surprise was held at 1:30pm in the Bishop’s Lounge, partnering with the event and offering delicious bundt cakes for the community to enjoy as Dr. Moore shared her words of wisdom. I had the opportunity to speak with Grace Pyka ‘05 of Alumni Relations to learn more about the event and the importance of International Women’s Day in relation to Southwestern University. 

This year’s theme for International Women’s day is Accelerate Action. Purple is the color of International Women’s Day, and all committee members at the event wore purple to stand out to attendees who had any questions. There were 21 informational posters lined up in a gallery honoring the women of SU, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni, all who were nominated and chosen by other students to honor and celebrate their impact on SU’s campus and beyond. Grace Pyka explained her thoughts on the event and the chosen women on the posters by saying, they were “a positive way to celebrate the women of Southwestern […] every person here means something to someone else, [which] makes everything more personal and special.” There were five tables with plenty of floral stickers, words of affirmation, pens and notepads, and lollipops for attendees. Activities at the event included the polaroid station for taking photos and a scavenger hunt, where participants read each informational poster and wrote the names of women and their corresponding accomplishments to be submitted for the IWD raffle after the 1:30pm. program. Tables had pens and sticky notes, encouraging students to write inspiring words and express gratitude for the women in their lives to place on the event’s Positivity Board. A large table with stickers, blank letters, envelopes, and pens became a station to write thank you letters to deliver to a woman at SU who inspires them. 

 Dr. Alicia Moore, Associate Professor of Education, was selected by students to speak for the IWD event. She is a dedicated professor in the Education Department, passionately advancing the work of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. She is also an advisor to numerous student organizations, such as Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), and a woman who has touched the lives of many whose influence extends beyond the classroom. She began her speech by thanking Tiffany Ashcraft, the coach of International Women’s Day, for her kind introduction, as well as extending gratitude to Grace Pyka, Student Foundation, the International Women’s Day committee, and all who had attended this special occasion. In her speech, she emphasized the importance of the audience’s attendance not only physically but as a way of showing up for women. She emphasized the importance of action and challenging systems that have inhibited women for far too long, which includes ensuring that diversity is not just a talking point but a lived reality in any space. She stated this can be achieved in the ways we show up for one another, the way we respect one another and uplift each other, and how we can emphasize themes of community, intersectionality, and the power of  collective strength. 

Dr. Moore highlighted these themes with two messages, the first being “keep your feet in the air,” which comes from the parable of the elephant and the hummingbird. The parable describes an elephant encountering a hummingbird, laying on the ground with its feet in the air. The elephant is curious as to why, and the hummingbird explains , ‘I have heard that sky is going to fall on our heads today, and, if that happens, I am here, ready to do my part and help to hold it up.’ The elephant finds humor in this and asks how the hummingbird could possibly stop the sky from falling. The hummingbird replies, ‘I know perfectly well that I will not be able to hold up the sky by myself. That is precisely why I have placed myself in the middle of the road, in the sight of everyone. Because, then, all creatures can see me and imitate me to do everything in their power to hold up the sky… This is what is in my power to do!’ With this parable,  Dr. Alicia Moore asked us to reflect on its connections to us, what we can do to make an impact and how to apply the skills we learn at SU  to real life scenarios outside of campus. The metaphor that Dr. Alicia Moore shared is that “life is the sky, full of ups and downs, setting limits meant to decline us or deter us from reaching our true potential … keep your feet in the air. The elephant represents those who belittle feminism – those who refuse to recognize, respect, and value the presence and contributions of women […] the hummingbird represents a society that values and encourages the enabled, continued contributions from all, regardless of differences […] the ground represents the steadfast beliefs and actions that [support] feminism, social justice, and the pursuit of opportunity for all women [which can] launch us into greatness.” 

While the current political climate in the United States debates the importance of holidays such as International Women’s Day and DEI at large, such as Google’s quiet decision to remove International Women’s Day, as well as other cultural holidays, from its calendar app, it is important to remember that it was not long ago that women were able to achieve equal rights for day-to-day liberties in the United States. On weekends, I shop for groceries and treat myself at the end of a busy week, using a credit card in my name. This was possible thanks to Representative Bella Abzug of New York, who introduced the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act that  allows women the right to own credit cards and protects them from discrimination on the basis of sex or marital status. The Women’s Business Ownership Act of 1988 allowed women to open their own businesses without a male co-signer on business loans. It was only in 1994 that The Violence Against Women Act enacted stronger laws against the harassment of women, which took four years to draft and pass. While these are a few examples of legislation which grants these rights, these only account for accomplishments within the United States; there are still many other places in the world that struggle to grant these rights and expand on gender equality. While legislation doesn’t always work as perfectly as it should, these liberties were made possible thanks to the hard work and contributions of powerful and determined women. 

As March wraps up, the recognition and celebration of women does not end. The United Nations (UN) prioritizes gender equality as part of its Sustainable Development Goals; António Guterres  stated “we must fight inequalities by expanding opportunities for women and girls” when outlining the UN’s 2025 annual priorities. International Women’s Day not only celebrates women and their achievements, but also serves as a call to action to accelerate gender parity and recognize the rights  of women, because women’s rights are irrevocably human rights. There is still much work to be done, as the World Economic Forum estimates it will take until 2158, or five generations from now, to reach full gender parity. Until then, we must remain diligent and continue to uplift and fight for these rights and to prioritize whatever we can to accelerate this process to reach full gender parity. I will conclude with a powerful quote from Dr. Alicia Moore: “We must live with the thought of justice and equity for all, just as the hummingbird did. So live and advocate for just causes, live unselfishly, love generously, care deeply, disrupt patriarchy […] remember to accelerate, remember to move forward, and remember to keep your feet in the air.”