Over 900 community leaders, business executives, students and elected officials mingled Friday, sharing ideas on gender equality and fueling Colorado’s largest International Women’s Day celebration. 

The event — held by WorldDenver, a local nonprofit that looks to connect the world through exchange programs and education initiatives — celebrated the women of Colorado and the world and their economical, political and cultural advancements.

WorldDenver’s 11th annual event included a panel on women’s health hoisted by local experts on physical and mental health, an allotted time for networking amongst attendees and a keynote by Maryam Monsef, former cabinet minister in Canada and CEO of ONWARD.

“International Women’s Day is not just a date on the calendar,” U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette said. “It’s a powerful reminder of the resilience of mothers and grandmothers and women throughout history. Today, we pay tribute to the women who have paved the way for us by shattering glass ceilings and defying societal norms to build a better world.”

“When we commit ourselves to elevating the voices and talents of women, we all benefit,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said at the event.

And some of those women, continuously jabbing and pushing ceilings, were honored at the event. 

WorldDenver’s 2024 International Women’s Day’s honorees included the Women’s Bean Project, a Denver-based nonprofit providing opportunities for women, and Dr. Margaret Muldrow, the founder of Village Health Partnership, a nonprofit that provides medical equipment and training in Ethiopia to ensure safe motherhood.

But the national holiday and event doesn’t only focus on the women that have successfully carved a path for others to follow — it also focuses on those young women beginning their journey.

Monsef spoke directly to those beginners in the crowd, telling them to build relationships and invest in themselves to help guarantee success.

“We’ve all seen, when we get out of girls’ ways, they soar,” she said. 

To Monsef, the day had a tinge of sadness, though. While celebrating women, she noted that she can’t help but think about the environmental and gender-based issues currently rising in the world. 

For example, domestic violence against women during the pandemic seemingly rose worldwide and has stayed elevated since. A 2021 study by UN Women of 13 countries found that one-in-two women know another woman who has experienced violence since the pandemic. Seven-in-ten women thought that domestic violence had increased since the lockdown.

“Pay inequity is real. The rates of violence [against women] haven’t decreased post-pandemic, they’ve only gone up. Those who provide critical support to survivors and their families tell us over and over again that their resources aren’t enough,” she said. “My son may grow up in a world, my nieces may grow up in a world where they won’t see gender equality.”

To Monsef, the way forward requires dedication and events for communication, like the International Women’s Day event. She said women and those that identify women need to recharge their batteries and rebuild their resilience. 

 “Those hard-won gains that the women who came before us and the women we salute today fought for and sacrificed for, you see are in danger,” she said. “Those rights are not carved in stone. That progress is not protected except for our collective effort to hang on tight.”