Fleming College’s Peterborough campus garnered more than 60 supporters for a march to “Take Back the Night.”
The MC Lindsay Haacke from the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre started off the event with some powerful words about sexual assault being statistically more likely to be committed by someone you know than a stranger.
Teachings like “Don’t walk at night,” “Watch what you wear,” or “Carry keys with you,” are victimizing and not relevant or realistic. These comments place the responsibility and blame for these circumstances on women, and further promote rape culture.
This year representing “male ally-ship” was Wes Wild stating, “The most important thing to do is listen.” His solidarity was encouraging, as was the handful of other men who came to show their support. Wild also commented on how investigating his own sense of privilege and letting go of his programming was liberating.
The size of the gathering was improved from last year’s 45 attendees. Organizers hope to reach their goal of 100 next year. Similar marches also took place on Fleming’s other campuses in Haliburton, Lindsay, and Cobourg.