Learn more about how you can attend global rally Take Back the Night, which protests sexual and gender-based violence
On Sept. 21, an event part of the worldwide movement Take Back the Night will be held at Hamilton City Hall Forecourt. Take Back the Night is an annual rally and march in support of the fight to end sexual violence, gender-based violence and street harassment.
These events are held around the world every year and one has been hosted in Hamilton by the Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area for over 40 years.
SACHA’s public education coordinator Miranda Jurilj explained that the movement originally began as a protest for women who felt unsafe or were assaulted or harassed while walking home at night and has since expanded to encompass a broader mission.
“[Take Back the Night] has continued to grow and become this protest all forms of gender-based violence, sexual violence and street harassment. A way for survivors, their allies and communities to assert that everybody has the right to be safe in every part of life. It has been an event that has grown to not just [be] a march and rally, but [also] a celebration of community,” said Jurilj.
[Take Back the Night] has continued to grow and become this protest all forms of gender-based violence, sexual violence and street harassment. A way for survivors, their allies and communities to assert that everybody has the right to be safe in every part of life.
Miranda Jurilj, public education coordinator, Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area
The theme of this year’s Take Back the Night is Community Power Through Collective Resistance. Jurilj explained that this theme aims to emphasize the importance of uniting all that are fighting for a world free of oppression and violence.
The theme also hopes to bring intergenerational solidarity to the fight against sexual and gender-based violence through honouring past activists.
"There have been people who have led the way for us to have Take Back the Night in the form that it is now. There are people doing the work now and our hope is that the future generations won't have to do this work—that it'll be a world that people are thriving in and not needing to fight against sexual violence and gender-based violence,” said Jurilj.
There have been people who have led the way for us to have Take Back the Night in the form that it is now. There are people doing the work now and our hope is that the future generations won't have to do this work—that it'll be a world that people are thriving in and not needing to fight against sexual violence and gender-based violence.
Miranda Jurilj, public education coordinator, Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area
In Aug. 2023, intimate partner violence was declared an epidemic in Hamilton. In 2022, 12,514 domestic violence calls were made to Hamilton police and an additional 7,660 calls were made to non-police, violence against women crisis support lines.
Wil Prakash Fujarczuk, manager of the Sexual Violence Prevention Education Program within the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office, shared sentiments on the significance of this year’s theme and the importance of unity and strength among the McMaster University and Hamilton community.
“As an office is so important for us to really send the message to folks on campus, given the disturbingly high rates that we see on like campuses across North America, that there are people working to create a safer world. There's like so much support in that sense of solidarity,” said Prakash Fujarczuk.
In preparation for the event, SACHA hosted a sign-making party on campus. Jurilj shared that the sign-making event gives marchers the chance to put their message out there and create a sign that is personally meaningful, while also allowing marchers to become acquainted before the rally.
The main event takes place on Sept. 21 at 6:00 p.m., where marchers can attend an Indigenous artists and small business market, hear live music from local musicians and listen to a drag story time lead by McMaster’s own Unita Assk.
The main event takes place on Sept. 21 at 6:00 p.m., where marchers can attend an Indigenous artists and small business market, hear live music from local musicians and listen to a drag story time lead by McMaster’s own Unita Assk.
Starting at 8:00 p.m., speakers will kick off the march speaking towards this year’s theme and how it intersects with their own work and activism.
Jurilj explained that the march itself will proceed at a slower pace to be as accessible as possible to all who want to participate. Additionally, DARTS buses will be available for those who prefer to ride along.
“There will be a band playing, a marching band during the march, so we are going to be as loud as possible and take up that space and feel good about reclaiming our rights to safety.” said Jurilj.
More information on this year’s Take Back the Night and SACHA’s services can be found on SACHA’s Instagram.
C/O Wenzdae Dimaline
cw: sexual assault
SACHA brings the community together online to take back the night on stolen land
Every year, the Sexual Assault Centre Hamilton holds an event known as Take Back the Night. SACHA is a feminist, non-profit, community-based organization that raises awareness regarding sexual assault and provides support for people who have experienced sexual violence.
At Take Back the Night, community members gather together to walk an hour-long march to show solidarity for ending sexual violence in front of the Hamilton City Hall. Aside from the march, Take Back the Night also involves other solidarity events that people can join in on.
This year, for their 40th anniversary, Take Back the Night had a unique theme — Taking Back the Night on Stolen Land.
Bringing the focus on Indigenous women, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people, this year’s theme aims to raise awareness of how colonization leads to sexual violence, gender-based violence and sexual harassment.
“The theme we hope will be a reminder to people that all justice work must be rooted in decolonization and Indigenous sovereignty,” stated SACHA’s announcement.
“Take Back the Night has always been about taking up and reclaiming space but when we take to the streets and take up space we have to remember we are taking up space on stolen Indigenous land that has been the land of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek peoples for long before colonization.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Take Back the Night event was conducted online. On Sept. 16, SACHA posted a YouTube video for the main event, including a variety of clips from Indigenous women, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse performers, artists, musicians, poets and singers.
The virtual event kicks off with an impactful clip of community members holding signs saying things such as, “We have the power. We have the might. These lands are Indigenous. Take back the night” and “Claim our bodies. Claim our right. Take a stand. Take back the night” while shouting loud and clear, “Taking back the night on stolen land. We believe survivors.”
Following a land acknowledgement and theme introduction, Jessica Bonilla-Damptey, Director of SACHA, provided an overview of the 40-year history behind Take Back the Night.
“We will not tolerate gender-based violence. We will not tolerate sexual violence. We will not tolerate street harassment. We shout loud and proud that we deserve a world where we are not only safe, but to be free, to thrive as our full selves. We shout. We cry. We know that you are not alone and we shout that we believe survivors,”
jessica bonilla-damptey
Two different honour songs sung by Indigenous folks were then played. The first song was sung by Nicole Jones from Mississauga of the Credit First Nations to honour women, girls and Two-Spirited folks. The second song was sung by Jordan Carrier who is Plains Cree to honour the water.
Next, the Red Dress Project was discussed. The project involves red dresses hung up on tress and across cities each year to draw attention to the issue of countless Indigenous women being missing or murdered across the country.
Tristan, a Two-Spirited Indigenous community member, explained the significance behind the red dresses.
“Their colour symbolizes the emotion, the anger and the rage we feel — the blood of these built women and our connection to them. Over 4000 women are missing in Canada and the RCMP reports maybe less than a quarter of that. But these aren’t just statistics, these are people. These are mothers and aunties and sisters who supported us and took care of us and now they’re gone. Missing or murdered and nobody’s looking for them,” said Tristan.
Tristan explained his frustration with the lack of awareness non-Indigenous people have of the issue.
“That’s just how things were growing up and continued to be. And now I’m hearing people start to realize what’s going on that aren’t a part of this community with this shock. And I get surprised when I feel my own shock when I think how did you not realize this was happening? How did you not realize that I show up with somebody one day and they’re gone the next? And that’s just another number missing,” said Tristan.
By the half-way mark of the online event, SACHA pieced together a multitude of messages from community members dedicated to Indigenous youth.
Reading their messages, each person reminded Indigenous youth of their value, “Dear Indigenous youth, you are loved. Dear Indigenous youth, you bring so much joy and brightness into the world and you have my thanks for being wonderfully you. Dear Indigneous youth, you don’t have to look or sound a certain way to be Two-Spirited. You are who you are. End of story.”
Finally, before closing off the event, Joan, co-chair of Sisters in Spirit, an organization that works to educate the public about missing and murdered Indigenous women, addressed the Red Ribbon Skirt Project.
The project began with a group of women gathering together in response to a lack of police action regarding the Picton case when 33 women were found murdered in Vancouver, many of which were Indigenous women.
The project involves sewing skirts for the members of the families and marching every year on May 5th to raise awareness. Joan touched on the impact that the project has and what it means for the families of the missing women.
“The families really need to have the support and they need to have the acknowledgement that they have’t been forgotten...It’s not just one day that people go missing. It’s everyday,” said Joan.
As a closing honour song, singers and dancers from a performance group known as Spirit Vision performed a song called Red Dress. The song holds a message saying that Indigenous men need to protect Indigenous women from further harm.
Take Back the Night is more than just about showing solidarity against sexual violence. At it’s core, it is an event that brings together the community, reminds people that they are not alone and brings to light issues that are too often dismissed. This year, even without an in-person rally, the community found its own ways to remind all of us — there is still work to be done.
cw: References to sexual assault
If you were near Hamilton City Hall at around 6 p.m. on Sept. 19, you would have heard throngs of people yelling “revolution!”. If you had taken a closer look, you would have seen Danielle Boissoneau, the coordinator for Take Back The Night, standing behind a microphone on a makeshift stage and prompting each shout from the crowd with an exuberant “joyful!”
Together, they formed a chorus — a call honouring this year’s Take Back The Night theme: Joyful Revolution Always.
Take Back The Night is an annual event organized in Hamilton by the Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton), a non-profit organization that supports survivors of sexual assault. Traditionally, Take Back The Night has been an opportunity for women and gender non-conforming folks in the community to speak out against sexual violence and to advocate on behalf of survivors. It has also celebrated with music, performances, art and tables for local organizations that support women and non-binary folks.
The first instance of Take Back The Night in Hamilton dates back to 1981. This year marks the event’s 38th year in the city and its first year in recent history without a march.
The Take Back The Night march began as a symbolic protest to the violence that women experienced when walking alone at night. Since then, it has grown into a method of raising awareness of all forms of violence in the community as well as a way to show support for survivors.
On Sept. 12, however, SACHA released a statement on their blog to announce that they decided not to march this time. The organization cited safety as a main concern, though the matter swiftly became a discussion of not only safety, but also about relationships with the Hamilton city police.
“On Sept. 4, 2019, the Take Back the Night (TBTN)Committee hosted a ‘TBTN Community Townhall on Safety’ — we wanted to hear right from the community what safety looks like for them … What was interesting was that no one mentioned the police as a place of safety,” wrote a representative from SACHA in their official statement.
The situation snowballed into a series of meetings. In consideration of the feedback and turnout from previous Take Back The Night events, SACHA attended a meeting with Ward 3 Councillor Nrinder Nann, intending to ask for four street lanes to be closed instead of the one lane that Take Back The Night attendees used in previous marches. They were surprised to find out they were not allowed to follow the usual route used in previous Take Back The Night events.
In an effort to reach a compromise, an alternate route for the march was proposed. However, this second option required the inclusion of five paid duty officers, an unexpected fee that SACHA was unable to pay. In a prior Take Back The Night event, the city had provided SACHA with funding for three officers. There had been no such offer this year.
“We took it upon ourselves to revisit the table with the city and the police. We tried to work out an agreement … and then the agreement started to fall into bad faith negotiations, because they started trying to sneak in things at the last minute that were not acceptable,” said Boissoneau.
In the end, SACHA decided it was best to cancel the march.
Lisa Colbert of the Woman Abuse Working Group said she had not been sure at first about SACHA’s decision. As she prepared her organization’s table for the event, she admitted that the march was something she enjoyed. However, although the energy might feel different this time, she recognized that to march despite the predicament with the police would be to do the opposite of empowering those who were marching.
Similarly, Kat Williams of the Workers’ Arts and Heritage Centre said that a successful partnership with the police and all public servants would not be possible while those in power continued not to listen.
“In order to serve the people who are in the margins, the people who are suffering — those are the people we need to elevate. It’s especially important for the police industry to listen to those people, and I don’t think that has happened at many gatherings recently,” she added, taking care to emphasize that her views do not necessarily represent that of her organization.
In the same regard, Gachi Issa of the McMaster Womanists expressed support for SACHA’s decision. Taking into account Canada’s history with the police, she believed SACHA did the right thing by prioritizing the needs of the most marginalized communities.
With this in mind, Issa said that the presence of the police was always something that should be contested.
“The police had never been safe for the most marginalized communities and have been created and set up in a way to marginalize us further and to kill us. My hesitation is to always critique the involvement of police and police presence,” Issa said.
For Boissoneau, the change in this year’s Take Back The Night event was a reminder for community members to hold institutions accountable. Institutions like the police and SACHA, she said, must focus on their responsibilities to the people.
When asked whether she believed the cancellation of the march had a profound effect on Take Back The Night this year, Boissoneau stated that it had. She admitted the people were disappointed about not having a march — but this disappointment, at the same time, was causing them to re-evaluate how they defined reclamation.
“A lot of people are like, we must march to be able to be powerful. I don’t necessarily think that that’s true. I think that people have the ability to reclaim their autonomy … There’s so many different ways to do it. Marching is only one of those ways,” said Boissoneau.
Jessica Bonilla-Damptey, SACHA’s director, did not agree that there was a palpable difference. She acknowledged that the march had always been a big component of Take Back The Night but that despite its absence, joy was the dominant feeling in this year’s event.
“I am seeing lots of folks — folks from everywhere, all different nationalities, all different walks of life, all different languages. Everyone is smiling, everybody’s participating. Everybody’s around the tables, looking at what kind of resources are available in our community and everybody’s celebrating … I see joy and I hear joy around me,” she explained.
For Bonilla-Damptey, the priority was to embody this year’s theme of joyful revolution. The importance was in the community coming together to celebrate each other and show support for survivors, regardless of the role that the police played in the event-planning process and regardless of what might have been different this year.
Issa felt that the same sentiment was applicable to the idea of community care.
“We are safe because of each other. Not because of police or because of security. We make each other safe. In order to get to a revolution, we have to be able to sustain each other and to find joy within each other,” she said.
On Sept. 19, there were no buses waiting to accommodate people who could not march alongside the assemblage and, as the sun set over Hamilton City hall, there was no crowd following SACHA’s usual route.
There was, however, music and spoken word. There were tables that belonged to groups that supported women-identifying and non-binary folks. There were t-shirts and there were signs that said We Believe You and Empower Others.
Despite the aftermath of SACHA’s nuanced relationship with the police, Bonilla-Damptey stressed that one facet left unchanged in this year’s Take Back The Night was its ability to facilitate connections within the community.
Attendees lined up for food. They took buttons and pens as they stopped at each table to speak to the person running it. They gathered to hear the story of Lucy, an elderly survivor for whom the crowd chanted, “We believe Lucy!”
People tend to believe, according to Boissoneau, that revolution began at an individual level. She argued, however, that when individuals get together and collectively reclaim their space, as hundreds of people did on Take Back The Night — that was revolution.
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By: Emile Shen
On Sept. 28, the Sexual Assault Centre (Hamilton Area) held Hamilton’s 36th annual Take Back The Night. It was also the first time that the McMaster Womanists tabled at the event, a group that seeks to give survivors a chance to not only reclaim their right to safety, but also collectively heal in a march around downtown Hamilton.
The McMaster Womanists was established in 2014 by Kayonne Christy and Kermeisha Williams to specifically address the issues affecting black women both on and off the university campus. The group’s advocacy is rooted in intersectional principles and black womanism, which prioritizes the experiences of black women to inform advocacy methods.
Gachi Issa, the co-president of McMaster Womanists, spoke on behalf of the group’s activism especially in relation to Take Back The Night.
“Take Back the Night is a great space for mobilization and it’s a great space in which people can gather and talk about gender oppression,” said Issa.
“But we’re also going to carve space for people to talk about racism, to talk about transphobia because a lot of these movements are centered around whiteness, but also a very specific view on femininity and women,” she added.
https://www.facebook.com/MacWomanists/
She noted that feminist spaces have traditionally been predominantly white in their demographic, and trans-exclusionary in their views.
“Even the narrative of Take Back the Night, like, ‘women are subject to serious sexual assault’. People of colour and black women are disproportionately affected by sexual assault — it is a fact,” said Issa.
The status quo of this movement causes the many material issues of other marginalized groups to be ignored. For instance, being a woman who is a visible minority is an additional risk factor for gender-based violence.
“It’s identifying that there are intersections and you can’t just be one thing. You are many things. You can be black and a woman. You could also be a Muslim and facing many different oppressions,” she said.
As such, the official tabling at Take Back The Night by the McMaster Womanists this year practices what the group preaches: both grassroots activism and providing a safe or more comfortable and inclusive space for black women, non-binary folks and other women of colour.
“Every year I go, it’s been adding elements,” said Issa.
Still, it is activists that are demanding that movements expand to include the narratives of people of colour, specifically black women and non-binary individuals.
Outside of special events like Take Back The Night and the Women’s March that immediately followed Donald Trump’s inauguration in February, Issa stresses that a willingness to learn, to come out and talk at events, and to use the resources available online are invaluable.
“Some people don’t understand racism because they’re not affected by it, which is okay but the fact that we are being affected by racism and oppression, but then also have to explain that is a lot. So again, Google is free,” she said.
As Take Back the Night continues to grow every year, groups like McMaster Womanists hope to see more consideration for other marginalized groups.
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On Oct. 13, women and women-identified folk took to the streets of Hamilton in support of survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violence during the Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area’s annual march, Take Back the Night.
The march aims to encourage women and women-identified folk to reclaim their right to safety. Due to the nature of the march, SACHA requested only women and women-identified folk take part in the march, and encouraged male allies to participate by congregating in Gore Park and cheering there.
The march began at Hamilton City Hall and looped around King Street. Women took over the streets for the night, marching, drumming, and dancing while carrying signs bearing slogans such as “stop the violence” and “break the silence”.
In order to maintain accessibility, SACHA also offered an HSR and DARTS bus for those who were not able to march, in an effort to keep the event accessible for as many people as possible.
Despite occurring during McMaster’s Reading Week, many students still attended to support SACHA, both as volunteers and as marchers.
“Every time I turned around to look at the people marching behind me I had an overwhelming view of so many amazing and inspiring signs and people and artwork, it was amazing,” said Monica Sadri-Gerrior, a second-year Biology and Psychology student.
“I can honestly say I was blown away by the energy folks brought to the walk, and how much solidarity I could feel from women, but also non-binary folks, and the male allies that came out to support us,” said Lainey Stirling, a fourth-year Health Sciences student and Coordinator of the Women and Gender Equity Network who attended the march.
While WGEN has no official affiliation with the march, the service consistently supports SACHA during the march.
“People ask me why we don’t have a [Take Back the Night] every year run by WGEN. I think what SACHA’s doing right now in Hamilton is an amazing way to bring students and the community together and they are doing an amazing job,” said Stirling.
“One of my favourite parts of the march was also seeing some of the men with signs cheering us from the sidewalks, it was really heartwarming,” said Sadri-Gerrior.
Stirling expressed the importance of male allies at events such as these.
“I think it’s important for male allies and allies to the campus sexual assault issue realize that folks in the march see you cheering on from the sides,” said Stirling. “Your role to be there for the women and non-binary folks in your communities, even if you’re not marching.”
While Take Back the Night is over, those who need support can access SACHA by visiting their headquarters at 75 MacNab St. South, or call their 24-hour support hotline at (905)-525-4162.
Eliza Pope/Assistant Photo Editor
Ana Qarri
In the wake of two recent cases of sexual assault near McMaster in August, students may not feel comfortable walking home at night. But with the help of community groups in Hamilton and at Mac, steps are being taken for that to change.
On Thursday, Sept. 12, SACHA (Sexual Assault Centre - Hamilton & Area) is holding its annual Take Back The Night Rally at City Hall.
Take Back the Night is a feminist initiative that allows female-identified people to reclaim their right to safety, and stand up to gender-based violence. Through the work of the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres, TBTN became a recognized, annual nation-wide march in 1981.
Take Back the Night is one of the many efforts taken by feminist organizations in Hamilton to initiate discussion on rape culture and sexism on campus. In collaboration with the McMaster Anti-Violence Network, SACHA brought TBTN to McMaster on Sept. 11 to provide educational opportunities for students.
The day included an information fair in the MUSC atrium where MSU services and clubs, such as SHEC, SWHAT, QSCC, FAM, Peer Support Line, and others, displayed the variety of resources and support they offer McMaster students.
The fair was followed by an “Interrupting Rape Culture” workshop, where guest speakers from SACHA’s “It’s Time” Campaign, Hollaback! Hamilton, and the White Ribbon Campaign shared their insights and experiences with gender-based assault in the community. The workshop focused on acknowledging intersectionality when discussing the societal impacts of rape culture, strategies to safely handle street harassment, and the role of male allies in the movement.
With the two recent cases of sexual assault on Emerson St., discussions about gender-based violence become more relevant and significant to Mac students.
“Take Back the Night is something important to bring to our campus,” said Elise Milani, Chair of the Women & Trans* Centre Committee.
“It gets people talking about rape culture – something that would [otherwise] be ignored.”
Through initiatives like the development of the Women and Trans* Centre and the “It’s Time to End Violence Against Women” Campaign, McMaster is showing its female-identified students that it is standing in solidarity with them in the fight against sexual assault on campus and in the community.
The university administration has joined in efforts against sexual assault as well. After the two incidents near Mac, the incidents were made public on the McMaster Daily News, deviating from what had been done in the past.
Campus Security Services page now also includes resources for people who have been sexually assaulted on campus, as well as information on consent.
The Hamilton rally of Take Back the Night, run by SACHA, will take place at 6pm in front of City Hall on Sept. 12. The rally is exclusive to female-identified people. Male allies can attend the solidarity event at MacNab St.
