CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A group of Charlotte women are leading the charge for change in North Carolina.

What You Need To Know

  • Wednesday, March 8 is International Women’s Day 
  • A group of women are leading a celebration in Charlotte 
  • Celebrations are taking place at the Johnston YMCA in NoDa

Niketa Mittal, Johnelle Causwell, Alicia Emmons and Shefalee Patel are on the planning committee for an International Women’s Day event in Charlotte.

International Women’s Day is on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

Their committee is hoping to inspire others and promote gender equity.

"A lot of the energy that happens, it only happens in these conversations and when the conversation happens, the spark happens and the positivity,” Patel said.

The International Women’s Day campaign wants people to know the difference between the words equity and equality.

They say equality means everyone is given the same resources, whereas equity recognizes everyone has different circumstances and provides resources to help.

“What we are trying to do is share inspirational stories and encourage women to take part in things that they can do in their everyday lives to promote gender equity and to advocate for the empowerment of women,” said Causwell, who is the co-chair of the planning committee.

This year, they are celebrating at the Johnston YMCA in NoDa, starting at 5:30 p.m. 

They will bring people together celebrating women in different ways, from international restaurant tastings, cultural performances and motivational speakers such as Christina Espana and Gina Navarrete.

“We’re gonna have almost 27 different unique pieces with the theme for this year which is the equity and with the color green and also, we have a dance group, which is going to be classical Indian dancing from India,” Patel said.

This year’s theme is Embrace Equity, to focus on why equal opportunities aren't enough.

“They go out there and say, 'How can I embrace equity? Maybe I should go in my workspace and talk to my colleagues, or maybe we can, let’s go among my friend group and talk about it,'” said Mittal, who is also a co-chair of the planning committee.