The Arab American Association of New York (AAANY) led by Palestinian-American activist and A Day Without A Woman organizer Linda Sarsour gave a day off to men working at the organization on the day of action, Heat Street has learned.
Sarsour, the AAANY Executive Director and the face of A Day Without A Woman strike, which called women to “take the day off, from paid and unpaid labor” during the International Women’s Day to highlight the importance of women in the workforce, granted a day off to men working at the organization too.
The activist tweeted on Wednesday, saying: “Don’t email, text, or call me about work related matters. I am on strike,” adding “#DayWithoutAWoman”.
A male volunteer in the organization confirmed to Heat Street on Thursday that nobody in the organization worked on March 8. Numerous phone calls on the day of action to the office weren’t answered, confirming the volunteer’s statement.
A female member of the organization told us on Friday that while the group is primarily led by women, there are men working in the organization, although most of them are working part-time.
It remains unclear how many men exactly are working at the AAANY, as a spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for information.
A Day Without A Woman action, according to the website, urged women to spend March 8 by taking a day off from work and refraining from spending any money, unless necessary. The action page also suggests businesses wishing to support the action should grant a day off work exclusively for women, while men should reflect how vital women are at work.
The aim of the March 8 women’s strike was to “highlight the economic power and significance that women have in the US and global economies, while calling attention to the economic injustices women and gender nonconforming people continue to face.”
