Peace Action Geneseo hosts a Women’s March in honor of International Women’s Day
Photo courtesy of managing editor Regan Russell
On Mar. 8, 2026 at 1 p.m. Peace Action Geneseo (PAG) hosted a Women’s March at the Veteran’s Memorial Park, located on the corner of 20A and Main Street. The event began with the president of PAG, Abigail Persons, a senior psychology major with a minor in human resources management, making a statement about the importance of gathering and commemorating International Women’s Day.
According to the official International Women’s Day website, the history dates back to “...March 19, 1911, [when] International Women’s Day was officially marked for the first time. More than one million people celebrated in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.” Their demands focused on discrimination in the workplace and other relevant feminist issues at the time.
In 2026 many of these issues are still being highlighted by feminists across the world; UN Women HQ states that “Globally, women currently enjoy only 64 per cent of the legal rights compared to men. At the current pace, it could take 286 years to close the legal protection gap. This is not just a statistic; it reflects structural barriers, discriminatory laws, harmful social norms, and persistent gaps between legal commitments and lived realities.”
These issues were discussed by Persons in her speech, with a focus on her appreciation for everyone that attended the event. Alongside many Geneseo students of all gender identities, community members were also present at the march. After the speech made by Persons, attendees of the event were encouraged to remain a safe distance, approximately three feet away from the road and hold up their signs in support. At 1:30 p.m. attendees had the opportunity to march to University Drive and back twice, while holding their signs and participating in call-and-response chants.
With aPAG member using the megaphone to lead, one chant declared, “My body, my choice” with attendees responding “Your body, your choice.” This chant is largely in reference to the popular legal case known as Roe v. Wade which was overturned in 2022 and, according to PBS News, “stripped away the nation's constitutional protections for abortion that had stood for nearly a half-century. The decision by the court's conservative majority overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling and is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.”
This legal case being overturned outraged women across America, as for many of them, their decision to choose was potentially being taken away depending on where they lived. This is an issue that many feminists are still fighting for, with organizations such as the Center for Reproductive Rights raising awareness and funds to “...hold the Trump admin accountable, protect providers, and ensure reproductive rights remain fundamental human rights.”
Despite many of these issues being ongoing, International Women’s Day is also an opportunity to celebrate those that have worked hard to make a difference for women all over the world and to recognize the positive changes that have been made.
The celebration of the bravery of women in the Epstein files is one poignant example, with a statement made by Professor Susan Breau in a blog for the University of London echoing this sentiment: “I have nothing but admiration for the victims of Epstein who have spoken out in spite of the risk to their safety.”
The day was an overall success for all of those that attended the rally and march portion of the event, with a final closing message from PAG members thanking them for their time and their support for such an important issue.