by Rev. Sarah Pirtle February 17, 2026

“Standing on the Shoulders for International Women’s Day” provides an opportunity to celebrate International Women’s Day here in Franklin County. The event takes place Saturday afternoon March 7 at Greenfield Community College from 1–3 pm. Combining stories, music, and conversation, an ensemble of women spanning ages 15 to 76 will illuminate the lives of important women who are less known — like Mashalisk, a local leader of the Pocumtuck people in the mid-1600s. We’ll also honor everyday bravery by describing events of courage today.

Twenty countries around the globe celebrate International Women’s Day, including Afghanistan, Germany, Russia and Ukraine. For example, the the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Cambodia calls for “a feminist future where no one is left behind.”

The initiating event goes back to March 8, 1908, when women workers marched through New York City’s Lower East Side to protest child labor and sweatshop working conditions. They also demanded women’s right to vote. This is the 116th year of celebrations in the United States.