Millions of women in more than 50 countries will observe International Women’s Day (IWD) by going on strike, in a protest called “A Day Without a Woman.” On the eve of the international event, the United States’ most iconic woman, Columbia a.k.a. Lady Liberty, joined the protest.

On Tuesday night, the spotlights shining on the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor went dark for more than an hour.

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The National Parks Service claims the “unplanned” outage was the result of maintenance work and not related to IWD protests.

“The outage was most likely due to work related to an ongoing project to activate a new emergency backup generator which is part of our last remaining Hurricane Sandy recovery projects,” an official said.

Regardless of the cause, the symbolism is overwhelming.

As demonstrated by the millions who protested US President Donald Trump’s Inauguration at the Women’s March on Washington and in Sister Marches around the world, women feel like their basic human rights are under attack from the current White House Administration, and from countless other administrations around the world.

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Whether the outage was an accident or an intentional act meant to send a message, the fact that an emblem of the US, and more generally of freedom, disappeared for a brief time and left a noticeable chasm in what New York is to supposed to be, conveys exactly what the Day Without Women is attempting to do on a global scale.

This isn’t the first time the Statue of Liberty has been used for recent protests. In February, activists unfurled a ‘Refugees Welcome’ banner across the statue’s base.

For centuries, the Statue of Liberty gave immigrants hope as they arrived in a new country with the promise of opportunity and a decent life. As Trump signed his second executive order banning travel from six Muslim majority nations, the power outage also reflects the current administration’s efforts to block immigration.

But Lady Liberty’s lights eventually turned back on, which is also symbolic.

“A Day Without a Woman” was inspired by protests like the “Bodega Strike” in New York City and “A Day Without Immigrants.”

If these movements are successful, the US, too, can turn on the light, and live up to its credo as the land of equal opportunity.

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The Statue of Liberty Just Unwittingly Took Part in 'A Day Without A Woman'

By James O'Hare