Hello Everyone,
Take Back the Night (TBTN) is just around the corner - September 26th!
Take Back the Night has become synonymous with standing up against sexual violence that is directed towards women. The TBTN march is an opportunity to reclaim the streets and to speak up against the violence. The first recorded event with the principles and ideas of TBTN occurred in the United States in October 1975 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event was organized as a response from citizens outraged after the murder of young microbiologist, Susan Alexander Speeth. She was stabbed to death blocks from her home while she was walking alone. In March 1976, the first "reclaim the night march" was held in Belgium to protest the ways violence affects the lives of women.
The term "Take Back the Night" did not come into use until 1977, which comes from the title of a memorial read by Anne Pride at an anti-violence rally that same year.
Canada's first march was held in 1978 in Vancouver, BC. In 1981, the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centers announced that the third Friday in September be declared the evening for Take Back the Night marches. Guelph-Wellington Women in Crisis has held an annual Take Back the Night march for decades. The march is held in Marianne's Park. The park itself was dedicated to Marianne Goulden in 1993 by the city of Guelph. Marianne Goulden was one of the first women to stay at the Women in Crisis shelter. Marianne was stabbed by her common-law partner, Timothy Weldon, in front of her teenage daughter. (For more information on Marianne see sources below). The violence affects us all whether it be directly or indirectly. Come join the march and stand up against sexual violence against women. Let's refuse to give up the fight!
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