Students and staff congregated outside Hamline’s Anderson Mall on Tuesday, Oct. 18 to spread awareness, gain resources, share stories, and discuss how to end sexual violence at the Take Back the Campus Rally.

Take Back the Campus Rally is an annual event put on by the Women’s Resource Center. This year's event partnered with the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Rape, Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition, Bisexual Organizing Project and the Domestic Violence Advocacy Program with Communication Services for the Deaf. Each organization brought representatives to speak and give resources to students. All the organizations present reached every student or staff member in some way. The event was inclusive of all races, sexual orientations and abilities. Voices from every corner of the spectrum were heard throughout the night.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month and so discussions surrounding domestic violence, rape, date rape, partner violence etc. are highlighted. These conversations begin with open hearts and open minds. The Take Back the Campus Rally welcomed students with a resource fair where students were welcome to come and speak with each organization and learn more about them. This piece of the evening was extremely valuable because it allowed students and staff to reach these organizations and open up what might be uncomfortable conversations.

Speakers such as Carolyn Levy, a Hamline Professor, Martha Hardy from BOP, as well as other representatives from other orgs and students came to the microphone to share stories and offer support. Communication services for the Deaf in partner with the Domestic Violence Advocacy Program brought to light the difficulties people with disabilities have when they have suffered abuse. 90 percent of deaf people have experienced abuse in some form, according to the Communication Services for the Deaf.

Martha Hardy from Bisexual Organizing Partners is a Librarian at Metropolitan State University and serves on the BOP’s board. During her speech, she dunked common myths about bisexuality and spoke about how interconnected gender-based violence and sexual violence is.

“46 percent of bisexual women have experienced rape,” she said.

Why does this happen? She explained biphobia, bi-stigma and double minority stress are all interconnected causes. She emphasized that violence often happens when partners retaliate to the news that their partner is bisexual. She closed her speech by directing students toward the BOP booth to ask remaining questions or find resources.

“There is strength in community and there is strength in education,” she said.

After the scheduled speakers finished their speeches students and staff were allowed to approach the microphone and share stories, support, and resources. The things that people chose to share varied but all were equally powerful. One performed a slam poem about the objectification of women; while others spoke about what we can do as individuals to stop the rape culture that fuels sexual violence. Amy Hare, a student and intern at the Women’s Resource Center was one of the first to approach the microphone. She shared a very important message with the audience about what we can take away from this event,

“Domestic violence does not exist in a vacuum,” she said, “Don’t let this night become an extracurricular after thought.”