The protest was one of dozens around the country marking International Women's Day.
NEW BRUNSWICK -- About 100 students, professors and workers marked "A Day Without a Woman" by walking out of their classes and offices at Rutgers University Wednesday to join a teach-in on a campus mall.
The women, and several male supporters, met on Voorhees Mall on the university's College Avenue campus in New Brunswick and sat in small groups on the lawn to learn about grassroots organizing, abortion rights, immigration and other issues.
The low-key gathering was one of the most visible event in New Jersey in support of "A Day Without a Woman," a nationwide protest designed to show the economic power of women. Larger and noisier protests were held in dozens of cities and towns across the country, including marches in New York and Philadelphia.
Organizers said they wanted the Rutgers event to be less of a protest and more of a place where people could learn about how to get involved in issues they care about.
"Finally, people are becoming aware of what's happening in the country. It feels like the right moment to get people active and acting," said Laurent Reyes, 26, a Rutgers doctoral student in social work from West New York who helped organize the teach-in.
The "Day Without a Woman" idea gained popularity after the success of the Women's March on Washington, D.C., and sister marches around the country held the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration.
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Organizers encouraged women to use March 8 -- International Woman's Day -- to take off work, stage strikes and boycott cleaning, cooking and other "women's work" at home. Participants were also asked to not spend any money, unless it was at women- or minority-owned businesses.
Women who could not take off from work were asked to wear red in support of the cause.
While "A Day Without a Woman" didn't draw the massive crowds of the women's marches in January, it did have a ripple effect across the country. At least two large school districts -- Alexandria Public Schools in Northern Virginia and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in North Carolina -- closed for the day after large numbers of teachers took the day off.
Other businesses and non-profits either closed for the day, gave employees the day off to do volunteer work or held special events for their female employees.
In Washington, D.C, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other congresswomen walked out of the U.S. Capitol in their own symbolic protest.
In New York City, at least 10 protesters were arrested after blocking traffic near the Trump International Hotel, according to news reports and a statement from the Women's March on Washington organizers.
"Today, the national leaders of the Women's March on Washington gathered with allies and those participating in the day's actions for a show of solidarity and revolutionary love," the statement said. "After a peaceful protest in New York City in honor of "A Day Without a Woman" 10 organizers were arrested by the New York City Police Department in an act of civil disobedience."
At Rutgers, the walkout and teach-in was peaceful. However, one 18-year-old male student wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat and a "Feminism is Cancer" t-shirt stopped to engage some of the participants in a debate about political correctness.
Stephanie Mischell, one of the student organizers of the Rutgers teach-in, said the first few weeks of the Trump administration have helped energize the political debate at Rutgers and around the country. "A Day Without A Woman" was a way to highlight several issues, including abortion rights, immigration and equal rights for women.
"It gives us a day to think about a lot of issues," said Mischell, 26, a medical school student from Plainsboro. "None of these things are new with the Trump administration, but they have a new sense of urgency."
Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook.