While devoting a day entirely to women may not fix years of systemic injustice and oppression, International Women’s Day is a prominent time that allows women to come together and celebrate female resilience. 

Women’s groups on LSU campus came together on Tuesday for an International Women’s Day celebration of their own. Tigers Against Sexual Assault, Feminists in Action, The Black Women’s Empowerment Initiative and many other organizations tabled at the Parade Grounds while drinking coffee, eating pizza, listening to music and enjoying art. 

“Something I’ve really realized in the last year or so is that celebrating women and doing stuff like this where we empower women to come together to sell art and do fun stuff is a form of protest against those systems that would like to keep women down,” said English and psychology senior Angelina Cantelli who is co-president of TASA. 

Cantelli said she wishes LSU would do more to support its female student body, especially by promoting more female leadership on campus. 

“We all know that giving women seats at the table will lead to more policies being created for women,” she said. “We’re lacking women leadership in our student organizations unless they are started themselves. We haven’t had a female student body president in 15 years, and that’s not because there aren’t women who aren’t capable. It’s because we have to realize how gender bias impacts us as a student body.” 

At the event, one table was set up as a pop-up shop displaying various options of clothing at reduced and affordable pricing. The Maestri Market is solely female-owned by Holly Hembelton and Presley Addeo.

“I think it’s important to have a day specifically for women like international women’s day because I feel like as women we need to be talked about more and given a spotlight,” Hembelton, LSU senior, said. 

“Especially with all these organizations like with women’s issues like sexual assault and student health.” 

Uplifting and giving back to other women in the community as well as pursuing dreams are the reasons Addeo and Hembleton both love what they do, but being from an SEC school, it’s hard to promote businesses that are not well-known.

“As women, we obviously know that there are a bunch of barriers, especially economically to like starting your own business and getting your name out there. So I think it’s just showing that like it can be done, especially with every barrier that women and queer women do face.” LSU junior, Preslie Addeo, said. 

The Lighthouse program is housed in the Student Health Center on the ground floor and advocates students who have been impacted in some type of way. Things such as domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, dating, violence all tie in with this program on campus. Any information students give to this program is remained confidential with reassurance to that.

Zahria Nelson, an LSU sophomore, is an artist who also shared her light on women’s empowerment. Her table included artwork which she draws up herself. She has digital and originals for very inexpensive costs. 

“Being a black woman with a small business came with obstacles and obstacles are a part of the empowerment,” she says. “You should take every opportunity to present. Take every opportunity to promote your business as a woman as much as possible especially as like small businesses because small businesses already do not receive enough attraction.” 

Alex Reyes, a member of the Tigers against Trafficking program, explained to me how this program is an anti-human trafficking group that promotes education with LSU students and the community as well as organizations who are for anti-trafficking. 

All these events represented some source of change for women at LSU because women are vital to everyday life and now more young ladies know about what campus has to offer for them. Women are important and belongs to be a part of the headline.