DENVER – National organizers of the January Women's March are calling for women to take the day off and encouraging them not to spend money Wednesday to show their economic strength and impact on American society.
In Denver, March On Colorado is encouraging its supporters to participate in "Day Without a Woman" protest, which was inspired by the recent “Day Without an Immigrant" protests.
The Colorado organization says it stands in solidarity with the international call for a women's strike, which coincides with the U.N.-designated International Women's Day.
They suggest women take Wednesday off and avoid shopping (with exceptions for small, women-and-minority-owned businesses.) Women are also encouraged to wear red in solidarity.
“We are supporting this one-day demonstration of economic solidarity because we believe in gender justice and human rights for women and all gender-oppressed people,” says organizer Cheetah McClellan. “But we urge you to respect your employer and use a sick or personal day for this protest.”
March on Colorado organizers say they believe hundreds to thousands will participate, but say it's not possible to track participation in an event with so many opportunities to get involved.
Lisa Cutter, who spoke on behalf of March on Colorado, said the main goal is to continue engaging with the hundreds of thousands who participated in the January march and to create real change for women and minorities who are "unfairly treated."
Cutter said the goal is to impact lives, and the impact is already being felt in other parts of the country.
The call for all-women strike has prompted a North Carolina school district to cancel classes, because a planned protest will deplete its staffing.
Denver Public Schools announced Tuesday that it has not seen a spike in substitute or guest teacher requests for Wednesday.
The district said women represent 73 percent of the its teachers and 86 percent of the district's school-support staff, so a disruption of even a small percentage would be enormous.
A Fortune article put the economic impact at $21 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) if all paid women in the country participated in Wednesday’s strike.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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