A sizable crowd braved the cold and rain Thursday afternoon to celebrate International Women's Day in Stuart Park.
Chief Roxanne Lindley, the first female chief of the Westbank First Nation, opened the celebration with the traditional women's warrior song.
Mayor Colin Basran then took to the stage, proclaiming March 8th to be International Women's Day in the City of Kelowna.
Hosting the event was Tamara McLelland, the Co-Executive Director of Her International, who introduced speakers from organizations such as the Kelowna Women's shelter, H.O.P.E. Outreach, and Mamas for Mamas, among others, while saying some powerful words herself.
"If we break it down to the 'why' of this movement, and 'why' this is all happening right now, it's because it's calling us to evolve to a place where there is space for everyone," said McLelland. "It's important that we say goodbye to barriers and boundaries right here, today."
International Women's Day was first declared in 1977 to commemorate the 129 female factory workers who lost their lives in a 1911 New York industrial fire. The day aims to promote equality for women and reduce gender-based violence at home and in the workplace.