International Women’s Day
March 8th, 2025

Staten Island event combines art and activism for International Women’s Day (61 photos)

• Updated: Mar. 09, 2025, 11:30 a.m. |Published: Mar. 09, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
  By Owen Reiter | For the Advance/SILive.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Hundreds turned out Saturday to mark International Women’s Day with reflection, creativity and action at Hub 17 in Stapleton.

Those in attendance enjoyed panels, workshops, screenings, and interactive activities — including crafting squares for the Staten Island International Women’s Day Flag, a Breath and Movement session, and a screening of “Ratified,” a documentary on the 100-year struggle for constitutional gender equality.

During a discussion on mental health, led by equal rights activist Lorie Honor, Dr. Lauriann Mancini Castrogiovanni, and Dr. Simone Andrews, Kimbra Eberly, the owner of Hub 17 NYC, said she recently earned a degree in psychology.

“We have all kinds of programs here that serve the communities, so now that I have my degree, I would like to do something like art therapy or workshops,” Eberly said.

She sponsored the Women’s Day event because “I’m all about women’s rights, and in the last four years, women’s rights have been going downhill, especially with Roe versus Wade.”

Eberly said, “I think this administration has been chiseling away at women’s rights, at minorities, at everybody. We’ve had the suffrage movement and the feminist movement. We had all kinds of women struggles for education and equal rights for work.

“So this is really important. We constantly keep struggling to hold on to the rights that we have and we don’t want to go back to the golden age, you know, where there was no equality.”

Jozette Carter-Williams, the widow of Police Officer Gerard Carter, said she attended the event to support the equal rights movement. “I feel like women are starting to fall 10 steps behind and I want to see exactly where we can move forward as a woman in this world that has now started to shift a little bit more and shift backward.”

The mood switched from serious to fun when Phyllis Forman from Staten Island’s Pub Choir led a three-part harmony session with music provided by Jeannine Otis, Joan Cadell, Gary Moore, and his wife, Joan Moore.

Guitarist Gary Moore commented on the mental health discussion before he performed. “Women’s liberation is not about women’s liberation. It’s about liberation, period. Guys can’t be free if women aren’t free.”

Moore continued, “There have been generations of women that grew up really hating what they had to do, but just swallowing it. And during the 1970s, that all came unraveled. And guys were like, what is this?

“But it was just women expressing how they felt, which guys have been able to do from time immemorial. So really, anything that frees anybody in a society, any sector, whether they’re women, whether they’re men, whether they’re LGBTQ people, or people of color. It frees all of us because that freedom extends to everybody, and guys need this as much as women do because we sit on a lot.”

There were also cake and refreshments, a free book exchange (women writers only), a pop-up photo exhibit by Nataki Hewling, and a Women’s History Month exhibit at the Hub 17Gallery.

International Women’s Day, previously known as International Working Women’s Day, is an annual observance that commemorates women’s fight for equality and liberation. The day also serves to highlight the ongoing women’s rights movement and the issues that women continue to face globally.

The origins of International Women’s Day can be traced back to the early 20th century when women in industrialized countries began advocating for better working conditions, the right to vote, and gender equality. Over time, the day has evolved to encompass a wider range of issues affecting women, including reproductive rights and violence against women.

Today, International Women’s Day is celebrated in countries around the world, with events, rallies, and conferences organized to raise awareness about the challenges women face and to advocate for change. The day provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations, and governments to reaffirm their commitment to gender equality and to take concrete steps toward achieving this goal.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Equal rights activist Lorie Honor, a Stapleton resident, said women have a lot to celebrate on International Women’s Day, despite the “current political climate.” This includes former President Joe Biden’s acknowledgment of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) “as the law of the land” on January 17, 2025.

That’s why she is one of the organizers -- along with Phyllis Forman and Kimbra Eberly -- of an event to mark International Women’s Day this Saturday at Hub17, located at 73 Wave St. in Stapleton.

“Because people are so affected by what’s happening in the world, regardless of party, supporting women seems to be a partisan issue all of a sudden,” said Honor, who is co-founder of Staten Island Women Who March, and chief of staff for Vote Equality, a national organization whose mission is to bring awareness to gender equality.

“Women have been working hard for years to have the ERA ratification recognized. This event is a breather to have a piece of cake and say, ‘We did something good, something amazing, something that’s going to be long lasting for decades to come,” she added.

Said Eberly, co-owner of Hub17 and director of “The Art Vault,” “The ERA, initially proposed in 1923, sought to end the legal distinctions between men and women in terms of divorce, property, employment and secure equality. We have come a long way fighting for equal employment, education, gender equality, credit and reproductive rights. This day is important as it recognizes achievements of women throughout history in the United States and globally. It is a day to rally and build support for women’s rights, knowing we still have a way to go.”

In addition to commemorating the ratification of the national ERA, the passage of Proposition 1 -- dubbed New York’s Equal Rights Amendment -- in November, is also cause for celebration, Honor said.

Proposition 1 adds language to the state’s ERA amendment that would “prevent or dismantle discrimination” based on protected characteristics. In addition, it would prohibit anyone from “interfering, limiting or denying” the civil rights of anyone.

“This Women’s Day is especially important to me this year because of all the freedoms we have lost through this administration,” said Crystal Peguese Armstrong, a North Shore resident, women’s rights activist and yoga teacher from Be Yoga and Dance in Rosebank.

“It’s important that we as women stand together and support one another through these times. We also have to show the next generation how women can stand together no matter what comes our way,” added Armstrong, who will be leading the breathing and movement workshop at Saturday’s event.

The public is invited to celebrate

Saturday’s event, which is open the public, will include an artwork exhibition by female artists; a mental health and wellness workshop; books by female authors to swap; a breathing and movement workshop; and “craftivism” where attendees will have the opportunity to crochet and knit a square for a Staten Island International Women’s Day Flag, said Honor.

“I believe International Women’s Day is so important because the recognition creates value of our women, from our local communities to the world at large,” said Sifu Paula Wong of Shaolin Kung Fu Temple in Port Richmond, who will also be leading the breathing and movement workshop.

“Women are strong warriors for peace. Teaching people to be strong starts within the self. We need strong, smart, caring women to stand up and be seen by their families, friends and communities for a better future,” added Wong, who has been teaching kung fu on Staten Island since 1994.

The event is free but organizers will ask for donations at the door to simply cover the cost of the event, Honor said.

The event will feature a pop-up photo exhibit by Nataki Hewling, founder of HERShot. The Hub 17 Gallery Exhibit of Women Artists for Women’s History Month is curated by the “Art Vault” director, Kimbra Eberly.

The event’s agenda includes:

12-5 p.m. - Open meet-and-greet and Craftivism: Crochet/knit a square for a Staten Island International Women’s Day Flag.

1-1:30 p.m. - Breath and Movement by Armstrong and Wong.

1:30-2:30 p.m. - Screening of RATIFIED: is a feature documentary about the 100-year struggle for constitutional gender equality.

2:30-3:15 p.m. “What’s a Girl to Do?” Panel discussion on mental health and wellness “in difficult times” with Dr. Lauriann Castrogiovanni & Dr. Simone Andrews.

3:30-4:30 p.m. Group SING!!!! Staten Island’s version of a “pub choir sing” in three part harmony with Jeannine Otis, Joan Cadell, Phyllis Forman. Additional singers include: Joan Moore and Hawley Hussey.

Cake and light refreshments will be served. The event will also include a postcards and activism table, free book exchange and female empowerment merchandise.

For more information, go to: www.onwavestreet.com