Women in New York City wear red in solidarity with “A Day Without a Woman.” (Screen shot via Twitter)

3:32 p.m. PST:

Truthdig correspondent Haley Winters is on the ground in downtown Los Angeles covering the “A Day Without a Woman” rally as it unfolds. Follow along by checking the multimedia updates in the Evrybit story at the bottom of the page. Watch video from the demonstration, streamed to Facebook, below:

2:55 p.m. PST:

Teachers are reportedly among the many women participating in “A Day Without a Woman” strikes on Wednesday. Clara Romeo writes for Truthdig:

More than 300 staff members of the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) district in Virginia requested leave for Wednesday, the day of the demonstration. The huge number of requests resulted in the district’s closure and a lost day of instruction for its 15,056 students.

Helen Lloyd, communications director for the ACPS, said, “When personal leave is requested, we are not in a position to deny it [and] staff have requested leave for multiple reasons on this day—one of which is in support of the Day Without Women [sic].” Lloyd said no rules were broken and described parent and student reactions to the closure as “mixed.”

CNN

and Fox News reported that many other schools closed for the day due to the women’s strike.

1:24 p.m. PST: More information regarding the arrests of protesters in New York City has come to light. According to the news website Mic, protest leaders Tamika Mallory, Bob Bland and Carmen Perez were arrested alongside Linda Sarsour.

Mic reported:

Thirteen demonstrators had been reportedly arrested at Columbus Circle, a NYPD spokesman told Patch. Another NYPD spokesman, however, could not immediately confirm to Mic how many were arrested or any charges made.

A Women’s March representative told the Hollywood Reporter that out of thirteen arrested, eleven were organizers of the Day Without Women’s March.

Despite the arrests, the demonstrations in New York City continue to swell:

—Posted by Emma NilesREAD:‘A Day Without a Woman’: The Global Strike and Growing Movement Against Donald Trump12:13 p.m. PST:

News has been circulating about the statue of a defiant young girl—facing off with Wall Street’s iconic bull sculpture—that appeared in lower Manhattan on Tuesday, just in time for International Women’s Day:

Accompanying the statue, placed by State Street Global Advisors and due to remain in place for about a month, is a plaque that reads “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference.” According to the asset management company, the figure of the girl “represents the future,” and the message of the project is to encourage State Street’s colleagues to diversify their own management teams.

It also represents a photo-op for tourists on Wall Street and good publicity for its corporate sponsor. What it doesn’t provide is a critique of capitalism and the historic proclivity of capitalist regimes and institutions to run roughshod over the rights of various demographics, including women and girls around the world. Nor is it connected to the commemorated event’s early ties to socialist and labor-union interests.

As for State Street’s executive profile, the company’s leadership team consists of 23 men and five women, including one man and one woman of color. Eight men and three women sit on the board of directors. A web page listing State Street’s executive leaders counted 62 men and 17 women among its ranks.

–Posted by Kasia Anderson

11:31 a.m. PST: Linda Sarsour, one of the national co-chairs behind the Women’s March on Washington earlier this year and an organizer of the “A Day Without a Woman” protests, was arrested in New York City:

Several other activists have also been arrested, as the Women’s March organization notes on Twitter:

“We are not sure what precinct we are being taken to at the moment,” the account tweeted. “But we are together, reSisters.”

READ: ‘A Day Without a Woman’ Strike Shuts Down Schools in Alexandria, Va.

11:20 a.m. PST: Considering that the American protests focus on the Trump administration’s policies toward women, it seemed unlikely that the president himself would address the “A Day Without a Woman” movement. But he did indeed chime in via Twitter early Wednesday — not to lambaste the protesters but to offer his support:

As The Huffington Post notes, other Twitter users quickly jumped in to respond to Trump’s message “by referencing his offensive hot mic comments on the infamous 2005 bus ride with former ‘Access Hollywood’ host Billy Bush” and recalling “that image of Trump signing an anti-abortion executive order, surrounded entirely by white men.”

And in New York City, a large group of women is marching to Trump International Hotel to protest what they consider to be the president’s anti-woman policies (such as the global gag rule):

10:32 a.m. PST:

Here is a quick look at some of the events unfolding around the world as part of the “A Day Without a Woman” protest:

***

Women around the world are striking as part of “A Day Without a Woman,” a protest put together by a broad coalition of organizations largely in response to the Trump administration. Held the same day as International Women’s Day, “A Day Without a Woman” highlights economic inequality, threats to reproductive rights and numerous other women’s issues.

Strike organizers also asked people to avoid shopping on Wednesday, except at small, female-owned businesses.

Though the protests come during a particularly turbulent time in American politics, NPR notes that the “planning for the strike predates the Trump administration.”

“Inspiration came from International Women’s Day events outside the United States, where the day is more widely observed,” NPR said.

Follow Truthdig’s live blog coverage of “A Day Without a Woman” action around the world. Be sure to tune in to our Facebook page later Wednesday, where Truthdig will be sharing live video footage from the Los Angeles march and rally. Also be sure to check out the Evrybit story below for multimedia updates from downtown Los Angeles.

—Posted by Emma Niles

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#activism#equal pay#international women's day#national#politics#protest#reproductive rights#republican party#strike#trump administration#usa#video#wage gap#women's rights