When Aqsa Khaliq Khan moved to the United States from Pakistan in September, she didn’t feel at home right away. “There was a lack of diversity and I felt very isolated,” she said.
That is until she discovered the UO’s Women’s Center. She met Fatima Roohi Pervaiz, the first Pakistani woman she had met in Oregon. Pervaiz, the director of the Women’s Center, helped Khan settle into the community and become involved. “I knew instantly that I wanted her to be my mentor, my Baji [big sister], my inspiration,” Khan said.
Now, as the International Student Coordinator of the Women’s Center, she works to create more inclusive spaces for students who come from all over the world to be at the university.
On Wednesday, March 11, the Women’s Center hosted its annual International Women’s Day Celebration in the EMU Ballroom. The event was marketed as the International Womxn’s Day Celebration “to be inclusive of gender expressions beyond binary womanhood.”
Khan and Pervaiz emceed the event, introducing more than ten performances and speakers from around the globe.
The event represented poems, dances, songs and more from a mix of countries. Keynote speaker Vera Sebulsky detailed her life as a refugee from the Soviet Union and how she ended up as the Associate Director and Student Advisor of the College of Business.
Dancers included: Aimee ​Okotie-Oyekan, Nelly​ Merveille Nouboussi Nkenfack, Manica Collier​ representing African countries, Kata Autobee representing the Cheyenne-Arapaho (arapa-ho) Tribes of Oklahoma, Wafa Pathan representing Sindh, Pakistan, Leni Alitema representing Kampala, Uganda, and the Eugene Bhangra representing Bollywood style dances.
Poetry was read by Janeth Alonso, a first-generation student born in Puebla Mexico and Renata Moreno Perez, who was born and raised in Leon, Guanajuato Mexico. Camila Osses and Washington performed a song by Chilean artist ​Violeta Parra​.
Finally, two videos were shown by the Saudi Student Association and No Lost Generation, educating attendees on issues with Saudi women and refugees.
Not only were the event’s performers from around the world, but the food was as well. There was fattoush to represent the Mediterranean, veggie stir fry to represent East Asia, enchiladas to represent Latin America and sweet potato crisp to represent the deep U.S. South. All the food was vegan, gluten free, kosher and halal to be inclusive and culturally sensitive.
Women’s Center Director Fatima Roohi Pervaiz detailed the importance of making the event celebratory and inclusive. “Many of our international students are underrepresented, and marginalized students don’t necessarily feel welcome within a current U.S. society,” she said. “So this is a platform for us to say ‘you are welcome, we celebrate you, we celebrate your heritage, and we’re working tirelessly to promote a safe and equitable society for you.’”

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The International Womxn’s Day Celebration is held in the EMU Ballroom at the University of Oregon on March 11, 2020. (Madi Mather/Emerald)