The 1971 International Women's Day march in Boston takes an unexpected turn when protesters occupy a Harvard-owned building on Pearl Street in Cambridge, demanding a women's center on land sought by the African-American Riverside neighborhood for affordable housing. Hundreds of women from diverse backgrounds come together to take a bold, collective action that transforms their lives and intersects with the local community's fight against displacement caused by Harvard's expansion. The event's lasting impact is explored 45 years later.
Left on Pearl
A group of women occupied a Harvard-owned building in Cambridge on International Women's Day in 1971, establishing a women's center and sparking significant consequences for the surrounding community, particularly the African-American neighborhood of Riverside.
