Port Hope’s local Take Back The Night committee is pleased to announce the 2019 rally and march will take place on October 10th in Memorial Park (the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Wendat peoples) with festivities set to kick off at 7pm.
“The goal is to offer Northumberland County residents an opportunity to stand together in solidarity against institutionalized violence and oppression as a community.” says co-chair Lyss England, “We welcome all to this inclusive and free event”.
Take Back the Night is a community-based event to protest the fear that women and trans people have walking the streets safely at night. It is a grassroots event that honours the experiences of survivors of sexual violence, sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse, domestic violence, and survivors of state violence such as police brutality, racism, ableism, sexism, and other forms of institutionalized violence.
“Once again we have had amazing support from the community which is why we chose the theme ‘Building Community, Building Hope’ for this year’s event”, adds co-chair Avril Ewing, “and the town staff have been fantastic to work with and we have a great list of local sponsors helping bring Take Back The Night 2018 back to Port Hope”.
Take Back The Night 2019 Sponsors include Long and McQuade, Lakeview Doggy Daycare and Boarding, Royal Ribbons, Elliot Insurance, and Coffee Public.
The event begins in Memorial Park at 7pm with live music and spoken word performances followed by a march through the downtown core, then back to Memorial Park where the musical performances will continue.
“We encourage everyone to stay at the park after the march to enjoy music and to work towards building community together. There will also be peer support available for anyone who feels affected by the content or overall subject matter addressed during the event.” assures Lyss, “Our goal is to make sure anyone who needs support gets it to the best of our abilities. While there is a time and a place to go deep into the darkness that gender based violence can inspire, the aim of our event is for people to walk away at the end of the night feeling empowered and supported.”
