On International Women’s Day, March 8, YWCA Evanston/North Shore, together with other local organizations, will host a community-wide breakfast featuring keynote speaker Dr. Beth Richie. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 516 Church St. from 7:45 to 9:30 a.m.

Dr. Richie, a noted scholar and activist and professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, will speak about gender violence, particularly how race/ethnicity and social position affect women’s experiences of violence and incarceration.  

“Dr. Richie’s work addresses the interwoven nature of violence against women and racism. This is central to our mission at YWCA, which is to empower women and eliminate racism,” said Karen Singer, CEO of YWCA Evanston/North Shore.  

International Women’s Day is a global day recognizing the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. It also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Participants will be encouraged to take action to change the criminal justice system’s impact on gender-based violence.

Registration is available at www.ywca.org/IWD.