This is cross-posted from Blue Jersey. 

I wanted to highlight and amplify an event being held tomorrow in Camden, NJ by Standing in Solidarity (S.I.S.) — a group of Camden women working and organizing for women’s issues. They’ve been organizing for months behind the scenes, but tomorrow is their first public event.

I reached out to S.I.S. organizer Erin Johnson, and she said this about the rally: 

“In the midst of Camden’s redevelopment we want to remind the women of our great city that we have a long lineage of phenomenal women who have made extraordinary accomplishments; such as the first African American woman in New Jersey to serve in the US Army (serving in the Women’s Army Corp) to our esteemed women educators who’ve empowered thousands of Camden city youth.”

As we’ve seen with the marches this past weekend, organizing is happening at all levels. It’s particularly heartwarming to see this effort by Camden’s women. Erin’s statement touches on the need to organize and ensure that Camden’s redevelopment builds on Camden’s deep roots, rather than erases decades of efforts by local women and residents. I’m excited to see an organization standing up and embracing that important work. 

Below is the full S.I.S. press release about the event, which is scheduled for Thursday, March 29th from 4-6:30pm at Camden’s City Hall. We’ll be live tweeting using the hashtag #sisCamden if you want to join!

CAMDEN NEWS

BY NAMIBIA EL

MARCH 16, 2018

WOMEN’S UNITY DAY RALLY

CAMDEN-  Standing In Solidarity (S.I.S.) a group of Camden based women are organizing a unity rally for women at Roosevelt Plaza Park, Camden City Hall, Thursday, March 22, 4pm – 6:30pm. The purpose of S.I.S. is to promote intergenerational bonding by demonstrating unity in issues vital to the empowerment of women. In the spirit of Women’s History month, S.I.S. will host this historic gathering of multi-generational area women from diverse backgrounds. There will be a number of inspirational speakers focusing on issues related to unity in the home, community, and work. There will also be vendors with informational  and resources for women and families. “Our focus is bridging the intergenerational gap,” says Erin L. Johnson, rally organizer. Erin, an entrepreneur and founder of Feminist Business Society is part of the trio spearheading this effort. Erin Johnson and her partners Nyemah Gillespie, Owner of Dare 2 Dance, and Betty Knight, founder of Miracles in Motion are all millennial Camden natives and products of Camden City Public Schools. The group is also planning a follow up event that will promote solution-based discussion for women’s issues. The Women’s Unity Day Rally is free and open to the public.  For more information about this event or S.I.S. check out their FaceBook page “Women’s Unity Day-Camden” or e-mail: womensunitydaycmd@gmail.com

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