South Africa commemorates 70 years since the 1956 Women’s March, when around 20,000 women marched to Pretoria to protest apartheid-era laws. The protest is widely seen as a landmark challenge to the white minority government and its restrictions on daily life.
Outlets describe the march as bringing together women “of all races,” who oppose apartheid rules that affected Black women in particular. City News Toronto, citing AP reporting, highlights the pass laws that required Black women to carry documents controlling their movement. ABC News frames the commemoration with reflection from some commentators who say freedom is not yet complete, linking the anniversary to ongoing debates about inequality and justice in post-apartheid South Africa.
