International Women's Day Celebration 2022

On March 4, 2022, Douglass hosted Women’s Day at Douglass, an annual college-wide event in honor of International Women’s Day! The afternoon sought to recognize the work of local and global gender equality initiatives while offering Douglass students a chance to connect.

Students and staff gathered in the Douglass student center to hear from special guest speakers, performers, and student clubs. Advocacy organizations from around the state attended the event to speak with students about how they can become involved in the community, foster gender equity, and spark change. Organizations that attended included Be the Change New Jersey, the Pride Center of New Jersey, Rutgers University Amnesty International, and more. Students decorated journals to be donated to a local domestic violence shelter. They also used their creativity to make cards for Ukrainian refugees.

Additionally, the event featured performances by student artists. Naajia Shakir, a Douglass student and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Ambassador, recited a spoken word piece about her experiences. Afterwards, the Rutgers Belly Dancing Troupe performed a number. Douglass Artist-in-Residence, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, closed out the event with a powerful talk about internalized gender-based biases and barriers. Her words, in combination with remarks by Dean Jacquelyn Litt, spurred deep conversations about the nature, language, and limits of conversations around bias and gender inequality.