Take Back the Night Rally and March Thursday, October 19th

Submitted by Sandy Smith – Advocacy and Community Engagement Coordinator – The Women’s Resource Centre - October 18, 2023

BRANDON – Join us Thursday for Brandon’s annual Take Back the Night march, which brings together a wide range of groups and people for an important event that builds awareness and community collaboration to face down gender-based and sexualized violence.

Everyone is invited to join the rally and march, with allies encouraged to participate. Take Back The Night in Brandon will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 19, starting with a rally in Princess Park, followed by a march at about 6 p.m. Marchers will head to Brandon University, for refreshments including hot chocolate and cookies.

“The premise of taking back the night is built on the principle of people not having to live in fear, the ideal that marginalized populations can walk safely at any time day or night, which we know is currently not the way the world works,” said Sandy Smith, Advocacy and Community Engagement Coordinator for the Women’s Resource Centre, which is partnering with Brandon Pride, Brandon University, and the BU Politics Society for the event, with sponsorship from the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation.

“We stand on the shoulders of the women who have come before us and this event is about bringing all generations together.”

This year for the first time, the Brandon Pride committee is a planning partner for Take Back the Night. Violence disproportionally affects queer and trans individuals.

“Brandon Pride is proud to walk in support and to raise awareness as a partner for the first time; Take Back the Night remains a critical and necessary event in our community,” said Aly Wowchuk Brandon Pride Chair. “There has been an alarming rise in anti-2SLGBTQIA+ rhetoric in Brandon and across Canada. Trans and gender diverse individuals in our country remain more likely to be assaulted physically or sexually at least once in their lifetime than cisgender people.”

Brandon University has long been a host for Take Back the Night, which is the oldest worldwide movement to stand against sexual violence in all forms, dating back to the 1970s. In Brandon, it has been a tradition for about 20 years.

“Violence against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is on the rise, not only in the US but here in Canada as well,” said Dr. Kelly Saunders, Associate Professor in BU’s Department of Political Science. “Events such as this are important to show that we stand firm with the queer community and that Brandon is a welcoming and safe space for all people regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation.”