The Ames Public Library will host a celebration for International Women’s Day at 2 p.m. Saturday.

International Women’s Day (IWD), March 8, is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by more than a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organization specific.

The Ames celebration in particular is part of the year long “Hard Won. Not Done.” series. “Hard Won. Not Done.” is a commemoration of the 100 year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.

At the celebration, ISU Theatre will perform HERoic Stories, which features scenes from the theater’s 2019-2020 HERoic season, which is a season of plays advocating for gender equality in the arts, all written by women. The ISU Theatre Department will start the afternoon off with selections from seven 2019-2020 HERoic Season productions.

“In some Midwestern theater markets only one-quarter of all plays performed are written by women,” according to an Ames Public Library press release. “Featuring all women playwrights’, choreographers’ and composers’ works this year demonstrates ISU Theatre’s commitment to correcting gender parity in the performing arts. Expect to meet the cast of 9-5, watch some soccer, hear Cinderella as opera, and experience the power of theatre as a platform for telling women’s stories and emboldening audiences.”

Following the performance, attendees are encouraged to engage in small group conversations over provided refreshments. There will be two 20 minute discussion periods.

Attendees will divide between four tables for discussion. Each table will have a discussion leader and a title. 

Rachel Junck will lead the “Entering Politics” table.

Linda Hagedorn will lead the “Leadership in Education” table.

Chinmayee Mankar will lead the “Gender Equity in the Workplace” table.

Grace McCunn will lead the “Entrepreneurship and Service” table.

After sharing their stories, groups will collect phrases that they feel encompass their discussion. These phrases will be used in a collective poem at the end of the event.

Ames Public Library encourages attendees to “celebrate personal achievements, challenge stereotypes, fight bias and support a gender equal world” within their conversations, according to an online advertisement for the event.

The event is free to attend.