International Women’s Day events build balance
When Vildana Tinjic first arrived in Cedar Rapids, she was surprised to learn there was no local observance for International Women's Day, which has been celebrated globally since 1911. So, she planned something for herself and her co-workers at Linn County Public Health. Beginning last year, however, the local landscape changed. The Women's Equality Coalition of Linn County, known for its long-standing, annual celebrations of the day women received the right to vote, began hosting an event to recognize International Women's Day. This year Tinjic will speak at the community event, describing the differences she has observed in the status of women and girls in her home country and the United States. Tinjic, an environmental public health specialist, is a Bosnia-Herzegovina (former Yugoslavia) war survivor who immigrated, along with her…