International Women’s Day Event Celebrates Human Rights and Gender Equality

Although the day has occurred internationally for over 100 years, Fargo is celebrating it for the first time

FARGO, N.D. — International Women’s Day holds a special place in Nyamal Dei’s heart.

“I celebrate this event since I was a child in Africa, and I always know I want to put an event together like this one,” she says.

For the first time, she’s hosting a get-together at the Dakota Medical Foundation for women of all backgrounds and experiences to share stories and empower one another.

“I believe that women can lead. Women can take spaces,” says Dei. “We can be that powerful together, and that’s one of the reasons I’m putting this International Women’s Day together today, because I know that there are women here who supported me to be where I’m at today.”

One of those women is Nekima Levy-Armstrong, who drove almost 4 hours from the Twin Cities just to be here.

“I think that it’s important for women to come together, women from all backgrounds, different races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic levels, to realize that we have so much more in common than most of us realize on a day-to-day basis,” says Levy-Armstrong.

She says as women come together to find those commonalities, it’s critical to take the discussion one step further.

“Then it’s important for us to think about, ‘What are the issues that are really impacting the community?'”

North Dakota Rep. Ruth Anna Buffalo says there’s one issue women across the state face frequently.

“Overall, what I see in North Dakota specifically is how can we prevent further acts of violence against women.”

According to CAWS North Dakota, 92 percent of domestic violence victims in 2018 were women.

Rep. Buffalo says in order to combat the issue, women and their allies must come together.

“Educating our communities to be empowered, and also to take action and to do something,” she says.

That’s what Dei says she hopes this event will inspire those attending to do.

“When all the women are coming together to be able to encourage each other, to celebrate each other, as long as they are together, they can accomplish anything.”

Dei says she hopes to make the event an annual celebration in Fargo.