Over 20 people were in attendance at SWOP Boston’s first observance of International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, held at Lucy Parsons Center. Our event began with a moving speech by Melora Marshall, founder of SWOP Boston. This was followed by a brief speech by Rhode Island sex worker rights advocate, filmmaker Tara Hurley and then an audio creation by Sex Workers Internet Radio Library. There were many moving statements of support in our community speak-out. The reading of the names was emotional, especially as we heard the names of those who had died from our area. Afterward, almost everyone from the event braved single-digit wind chills to join in the memorial walk. We paused for a moment of silence near the Marriot Copley, where Julissa Brisman was murdered in April of this year. Then we entered the Prudential mall (where it was much warmer) and walked the length of the mall with our red umbrellas. Back into the cold, our stalwart group marched back to Lucy Parsons Center, where, after a brief disaster with the coffee maker, we were rewarded with hot chocolate, hot tea and hot coffee.
We would like to express our gratitude to Lucy Parsons Center for being so welcoming and accommodating, to Dan and the other LPC volunteer for setting up chairs and tables and working the front desk, to everyone who bravely stepped forward to share their stories in the speak-out, to our hardy marchers who walked a long way through unbelievably cold weather for our cause, to our new friend from the neighborhood who had the brilliant idea to walk through the Prudential Mall, and to our anonymous benefactor for footing the bill for emergency hot drinks from Dunkin Donuts.
