Aug. 26 marks Women’s Equality Day — the commemoration of the certification of the 19th Amendment and women’s right to vote. 🗳️
To celebrate, the Women’s Museum of California (WMC) will host its first-ever Women’s Equality Day Festival this Sat., Aug. 27, at its new education center in southeast San Diego — you know, the community gathering spot we told you about earlier this summer.
The event is free and open to all — and here’s a look at what’s planned for the big day.
Try “craftivism” activities like button-making. | Photo via Women’s Museum of California
⏰ The basics
The festival will be held from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at WMC Education Center at the Joe + Vi Jacobs Center at 404 Euclid Ave. — and surrounding outdoor areas including Market Creek Amphitheater and Celebration Court.
Organizers said the event aims to “celebrate gender equality + promote civic engagement” — and we like that.
🎶 The vibe
Local leaders, artists, women-owned businesses + Girl Scouts will attend. The event will feature music, dance, storytelling, hands-on “craftivism” art activities, a women’s makers’ market highlighting local businesses, food trucks, and a youth suffrage parade.
The entertainment lineup includes:
- An indigenous dance circle via Danza Mexi’cayotl, plus Mexican ballet folklorico, Chicano, and Filipino dance performances.
- Modern dance, poetry, spoken word, live music + improv comedy from local women entertainers.
- Opening remarks from local leaders like Chairwoman Angela Elliott-Santos of the Manzanita Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, San Diego City Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe, and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber.
- Performances by the Chula Vista High School Show Choir and San Diego School of Creative + Performing Arts Black Student Union Dance Group.
- Remarks from San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, former Congresswoman Susan Davis, and San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas.
- Activities like making posters, buttons, custom prints + participating in a community loom project.
- Free admission to the museum’s exhibit, “Crafting Feminism: Textiles of the Women’s Movement.”
Check out the full schedule to plan your day accordingly.
The Women’s Museum of California Education Center in southeast San Diego. | Photo via @womensmuseum
The museum hopes the event inspires locals to vote + advocate for women’s rights.
“The event will provide a space for everyone to gather and be inspired to continue the fight for gender equality because our freedoms are not guaranteed,” said Felicia Shaw, executive director of the WMC. “The most powerful defense we have is to vote for leaders who share our commitment to protecting women’s rights.”
By the way, the Women’s Museum of California is the only one of its kind in the state — and only one of five in the US dedicated exclusively to women’s history. Learn more about the new education center, and know that we always have eyes on special events happening there. 👀
