Commemorating International Women’s Day, which is celebrated every year on March 8, Cerritos College faculty and students have come together to host a broad amount of events involving female recognition.

Women as Global Peace Builders was one of the many events hosted on campus.

This showcase was presented on the exact day of this celebration by History professor and Director of the Global Consortium for Sustainable Peace Dr. John Haas.

Dr. Haas put together this showcase to present students with vast information about two women who he calls his friends and who made achievements in Northern Ireland; Monica McWilliams and Mary Montague.

McWilliams was a politician and former Chief Commissioner on human rights who also established a Women’s Party in 1998 which ended 30 years of sectarian conflict between Catholics and Protestants a conflict which brought violence.

Montague who “walks right into the most dangerous places […] something like walking in between two rival gangs and trying to bring the rival gangs together.”

Hass said that women don’t really get their representation in a patriarchal society but that society is transitioning from that kind of ignorance. “We have plenty of examples of women’s success,” he strongly stated. He also mentioned that the U.S. is getting closer to get a female president but that we are behind from the rest of the world.

Sergio Hernandez, undecided major, said that having events like this is a great way to show history through female characters.

Having information that was unknown to him showed him how women stood up not only for them but for men as well, having as much impact as men. “Women are getting strong politically. Many women in many countries are in political offices, equality for everyone,” he said.

Another student who felt quite amused about how women were and are mediators was marketing major Rebecca Lopez who found this topic of great importance.

She said that it was excellent and unusual, mentioning that it is a shame that nobody had ever heard of female contributions to activist movements.

Lopez thinks that equality should be predominant in our society, that both men and women should have a day. “I feel that if women understand the power they have to create positive and worthwhile actions that can benefit others, they would spend more time fulfilling relationships with other women and their communities.”

She also agreed with Haas that the US, having the potential is falling behind in having females in government offices compared to overseas countries.

Lopez believes that women have gained much more power due to strong female role models who have had plenty of experience dealing with social issues that were downright hostile to women.