Analy’s TBTN Experience

Analy Flores participated in a Canada World Youth project which brought young women from Honduras to live in Hamilton.  Young women from all over Canada were partnered with other Honduran women and lived with Hamiltonian host families.  SACAH was fortunate enough to have Analy and Sarah volunteer with SACHA while they participated in the exchange.  SACHA’s office space was a lot emptier when Analy and Sarah left for the Honduras part of the project in October 2010.  We truly miss their amazing energy.  Here is Analy’s TBTN experience:

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As a young woman of the Cultural Exchange for young Honduran and Canadian women in 2010-2011 organized by ASONOG and Canada World Youth, with my counterpart and sister Sarah Paquin, we had the great and unique experience in our life “TAKE BACK THE NIGHT 2010″

I was Volunteer in SACHA for 3 months and participate in the planning of TBTN, after many workshops and continuous training by the amazing women in SACHA and intelligent women of the city of Hamilton well prepared to discuss these issues, I realized how important this event is eagerly awaited by the women of this city.

If you ask me which was one of the highlights of this cultural exchange, without a doubt I would say TBTN!

Thirty Years of TBTN in Hamilton

TBTN Committee membs and SACHA staff let us know when and where their first TBTN was.

Interview with Krista Warnke

Krista Warnke is a Public Educator with SACHA.  She has been involved with the organization – as a volunteer, a board member and as a staff member – since 1979.  Krista attended the first Take Back the Night (TBTN) in Hamilton in 1981.  Eventually, Krista moved into the position of and coordinating the Take Back the Night committee.

Krista was interviewed by Erin, also a Public Educator with SACHA and current coordinator of the Take Back the Night committee.

Here’s what it looks/sounds like when two public educators chat about herstory:

Erin: Do you remember what Take Back the Night was like in 1981?

Krista: I’m pretty sure for me that it would have been the first time I had ever been involved in a protest march.  I remember being incredibly excited. I remember there being generally a lot of excitement because there was recognition that in some ways it was long overdue.  Women were feeling all of these different things about violence against women and yet there wasn’t a forum for us to express ourselves.  There was a lot of excitement.  I remember a certain amount of creativity too.  I wore a hard hat to the first TBTN.  At the time I was working at a real male dominated profession and I don’t even remember exactly why I chose to wear the hardhat but I was making some kind of a statement whatever that was.

TBTN Hamilton interviews the most excellent Andrea

Andrea is a crisis/support line volunteer with SACHA, a first time member of the TBTN Hamilton organizing committee, a student in the Social Service Worker program at Mohawk College, and an avid collective gardener!

Jen: What first drew you to TBTN and how old were you when you first started marching?

Andrea: What drew me to take back the night the first time was actually a teacher who was at the school that I’d been talking to, and I mentioned that I was reading a book by Jessica Valenti called Full Frontal Feminism and she asked me if I identified as a feminist…and I was unsure at the time, but she let me know about TBTN and so I got excited and I wanted to be a part of it—I was 17 at the time.

Interview with Nairn Galvin

Nairn Galvin was a member of the core group of women who founded Hamilton’s Rape Crisis Centre in 1977 – now SACHA.  Erin, a Public Educator at SACHA, had a chance to chat with Nairn not only about the starting of Take Back the Night (TBTN) in Hamilton but also about the founding of the Rape Crisis Centre.

Erin: What was your role in making TBTN happen in Hamilton?

Nairn: I remember that I did a lot of work on planning.  I remember it being exciting, a lot of fun and scary too because you really were putting yourself out there.  It took a while to get support from other women’s groups.

Erin: What were the planning meetings like?

N: We certainly didn’t start in June.  Someone had heard that Take Back the Night (TBTN) existed and it was a possibility for women to do.  The idea caught fire.  It was something that we could do to make a statement.  To make a point.  To be in people’s faces about violence.   At that time you never even saw the word ‘rape’ in the paper.  They wouldn’t print the word.  People were still doing the ostrich and saying “This doesn’t happen”.  This was something we really wanted to do but I was aware that it was a pretty risky thing because we were going to be taking to the streets.  People don’t always like you standing up and telling them things they don’t want to hear. That’s what TBTN is about – saying “This happens here.  What the heck are you gonna do about it?”

Interview with Helen Manning

Helen Manning has been attending Take Back the Night (TBTN) in Hamilton since 1982.  Marching with her megaphone and children, she would lead chants as what she likes to call an Empowerment Officer in the march.

Erin: What was the feeling like at early TBTN’s.

Helen: It seemed to be more radical.  We didn’t necessarily listen to the police back then.  They would be trying to get us back off the street and on the sidewalk and we wouldn’t always do as they said.  We just wanted to make our voices heard.  It was more noisy back then.

E: What was your role at TBTN?

H: For a couple years, I was on the loudspeaker being an Empowerment Officer.   One year someone said to me ‘You’re too loud!’  I like being loud.

New Issue of Women’s Press

The Immgrant Women’s Centre just published the new issue of Women’s Press!

Please check it out.  This issue’s focus is on housing and homelessnes for women.

There are also article’s about the history of TBTN in Hamilton and male participation in TBTN by Taylor.

You can pick Women’s Press up all over Hamilton for free.  If you would like to read it online click here.

TBTN 2010 in Women’s Press

Have you checked out the Immigrant Women’s Centre’s newspaper The Women’s Press?

The goal of this newspaper is to create a forum for women in Hamilton – both immigrant and Canadian-born – to discuss issues important to them.

From http://www.stjosephwomen.on.ca/index.php?page=womeninfocusourstories

There is some awesome stuff that is in every issue like Legal Questions and Answers, What Women are Talking About, and book and movie reviews.

Last September SACHA partnered with the Immigrant Women’s Centre to put out a TBTN special issue of The Women’s Press.  There’s lots of great articles about why folks march at TBTN, how to be a great male ally, one survivor’s experience, and an overview of TBTN in Hamilton.

You can read the September 2010 issue of The Women’s Press here: http://stjosephwomen.on.ca//cmfiles/Women%20Press%20Issue%207.pdf

Past TBTN T-Shirt Designs

Here’s a peek at TBTN t-shirt designs from years past.

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We’ve tried to credit folks’ artwork when we have known who created the art.  Do you know anyone who designed any of these t-shirts?  Please let us know…

Do you have any t-shirts that are not shown here?  Do you have photos of you or other people wearing TBTN shirts?  Please share them with us.  We would love to see them!

Thanks to Steve at Active Promotions for providing hard copies of all of the designs and to Maria for scanning them. If you’d like to comment on any of the t-shirt images, please continue reading to see the full gallery (click on the individual image to leave a comment).

Why Do You March at Take Back the Night? AND When Was Your First Take Back the Night?

The sticky notes are answering the questions “Why do you march at Take Back the Night?” and “When was your first Take Back the Night?”

We recorded the video on Saturday at the Hammer City Roller Girls bout versus Roc City from Rochester, New York.

We had lots of great conversations with folks as usual, chatted with some some folks interested in volunteering, watched some ass kicking derby and talked about the upcoming thirtieth anniversary of Take Back the Night in Hamilton.

Thanks again to Hammer City Roller Girls for inviting us out.  They are HUGE supporters of SACHA!