Empowering Women One March at a Time

Friday, 20 September 2019 07:15

Take Back The Night Supporters in downtown Woodstock

The Take Back The Night March took place last night in Woodstock. Supporters were on hand at Museum Square before marching through the downtown area to raise awareness on sexual violence and violence against women.

WOODSTOCK - Museum Square saw people gather together in support of the Take Back The Night March.

Last night's walk was organized by the Oxford Women’s Events Committee, which began at Museum Square.

Vice President of Unifor Local 636 and committee member Melissa Holden says she'd like to see this event raise more awareness so that women can feel more secure in their community.

"Women put their keys in their hands when they walk. They never walk with their head down, they always make sure they walk in twos. They don't go around at night, they always park under a street light, they never park in the dark. Those are the kind of things that women deal with on a daily basis and we shouldn't have to. We should be able to feel safe no matter where we are, but when we're there."

The event raises awareness on sexual violence and violence against women.

The route saw people with signs in hand march throughout the downtown area. They walked down Dundas Street to Light Street, then down Hunter Street before they made their way onto Wellington Street. And then they went back up Dundas Street and returned to Museum Square.

Holden says she hopes the March can eventually raise enough awareness so these kind of events are no longer needed in the future.

"I hope we don't have to hold them in the future. I think that you feel a sense of pride because you see all these women coming together and feeling empowered enough to do it because there's women that can't come out to this event, that aren't safe enough in their own home to come out to this event. So I'm happy that that's happening, but I'd be ecstatic if we never had to have this event again."

The annual event rotates every year across the region. Last year's event was held in Ingersoll, while Woodstock last hosted it in 2016.

The March has been taking place in Oxford County since the mid 1980s and it has been happening on the third Thursday of September.

In addition to the March, visuals were on display along with two guest speakers and a singer.