November 2002
It was cold and dark, but the voices of the women lit the way as they roared, “Reclaim the night!”… the sea of women marching in central London in the streets that I had walked as a young woman when I lived in a hostel up the road … the irony … the shops and restaurants that I had so often walked past without money in my pocket. Here I was on this march … a woman in an orange jacket approached me … this is a women only march. Yes I know I replied, smiling at her to reassure her I was in the right place … she repeats It’s women only…. yes, I say, I know …. she double checks me … I can see she is still unsure. I am aware that there not many Black women on this womens march… but I persevere. I’m here because I believe the streets are not safe, that women are being beaten every day in their homes, being raped and objectified here in the UK and across the world.
