That was the question posed by women who gathered in the Place de Verdun on Sunday afternoon. As has so often been noted, in the town there are just two streets bearing women’s names: Marie Curie and Irma Moreau, as well as the place Jeanne d’Arc. Time for a change!
The campaigners had a list, top of which was Gisele Halimi. She was a French-Tunisian lawyer who worked tirelessly for women’s
Gisele Halimi
rights, increasing penalties for rape in 1978 and fighting to decriminalise abortion. She was an MP in Mitterand’s government, a writer, and mother of 3 sons. When she died at 93 last July, the Guardian called her a trail-blazer: read more here – https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/29/gisele-halimi-trailblazing-french-feminist-mp-and-lawyer-dies-aged-93
When I wrote my book, ‘Aix-en-Provence the Inside Story’, one aim was to profile some of the women who had been active here, but it proved very difficult. The vast majority had gone without trace whereas male achievements were recorded on street names, statues and buildings all over town. Truly time for a change!
aixcentric 
Leave a Reply