Manchester kicked off the International Women’s Day celebrations last weekend with the annual ‘Walk for Women’.
Hundreds of women with their families, organisations and charity groups marched – and danced – their way from Victoria Street to St Peter’s Square.
They followed the lead of the Lord Mayor Donna Ludford and members of the City Council, including Sam Lynch and Becky Chambers, who spearheaded the organisation of the walk.
They told Mancunian Matters that the walk was for all women to come together and celebrate how far they had come, but also to remember that there is still a way to go for equality.
The councillors also noted that with the huge variety of groups attending the walk, many different issues were being spotlighted.
For cllr Chambers, the biggest issue was the economic pressure currently being put on women.
“Women have been hit hardest by the pandemic and cost of living crisis – and women of colour even more disproportionately so,” she said.
“[We’re here to] shout about how women are having to make some hard choices day in and day out – even more so than men right now.”
Other causes represented in the 1.1mile walk ranged from women’s charity Ananna standing against domestic abuse to the Make Votes Matter movement, who dressed as suffragettes to advocate for proportional representation.
Not everyone at the walk was a part of an organisation.
One walker holding a ‘sisters not cisters’ sign said: “I’m here to celebrate women and walk with my sisters. I’ve got three generations of my family here which is really amazing.”
For her, a big cause was trans acceptance.
“Trans women in feminism is really important,” she said. “I’ve got trans women in my family who I’d love to feel were more included in the conversation.”
Walks celebrating today’s International Women’s Day are happening all around the country this week, and this event was the sixth of its kind to take place in Manchester.
This year’s event proceeded with great fanfare, accompanied by Irish folk music, chants and whistles, dogs bearing feminist stickers and colourful hand-painted signs.
Halfway through the walk, the Nigerian Women’s Group commandeered the front spot of the procession, setting an energetic tone with percussion instruments and dancing.
While this caused some initial confusion among organisers, the Lord Mayor was soon seen swaying and bopping along with her new entourage.
“We have always marched every year for International Women’s Day,” Gani Martins, the group’s vice chair said.
“We strongly believe we must fight [for equality] and our motive is unity and diversity. Our group is for all sorts of women – no matter what part of the world they are from – all coming together, showing our strength and our voices.”
There was one voice that stood out from the celebratory tone of the walk, raising the repeated and determined cry of “Women – Life – Freedom” for the full hour and a half of the walk.
Members of the group Women For Iran were bearing banners with the faces of the women who have been executed and killed under the Iranian regime.
They were at the march to raise awareness about the women’s rights abuses occurring in Iran right now and what they deem an underwhelming response by the British government.
“The revolution is happening,” said Sudha, a spokesperson for the group. “We don’t want your help. We just want you to stop supporting our dictators.”
Women in Iran has been protesting against the use of state violence against women since the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody last September.
Sudha said: “If as a woman, you don’t have the freedom [in society] to choose what you want to do in your life, it means life does not exist in that society.”
She was touched to see the amount of support her group garnered during the walk, with people echoing their motto throughout the march.
“It was so nice today seeing lots of women here,” she added. “I have a very real dream for freedom for all women in the world, not only for Iranians.”
The event finished in front of the Central Library, where festivities continued with performances and stalls inside.
International Women’s Day is being celebrated all over the city this week, from CAHN’s Black Women and the Menopause event in Old Trafford today to a pop up art exhibition at Deansgate Mews on the weekend.
Photo Credits: Charlotte Hall
