Take Back the Night is a powerful event which enables communities to stand together to end gender-based violence.
I am lucky to attend the University of Scranton, which hosts an annual Take Back the Night. Each year the student body and Scranton community join together in an effort to raise awareness and put a stop to sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking and other forms of violence. This powerful night unites, supports and empowers people to share their story and continue healing.
I attended my first Take Back the Night when I was 15 years old, in my hometown of Poughkeepsie, New York. I remember being slightly overwhelmed at the magnitude of the event- I was sure there was no way this many people had experience with sexual violence.
The image of the clothesline project still resonates with me today. The clothesline project allows survivors to share their story by decorating a t-shirt which will be displayed for people to view as a testimony to the problem with violence we face in the world.
At this time, I was volunteering with a local organization that advocated for people who had experienced domestic violence and their children. I still think about the kids I worked with, horrified that they were or one day would become the story on those t-shirts.
It never crossed my mind that one of my friends could have a t-shirt, or even scarier, that I could have a t-shirt. Six years later I am still attending (and now helping to organize) Take Back the Night rallies, and I know far too many people who have stories that could be on t-shirts.
Rape culture is bad. There is no word with enough magnitude to properly describe how bad it is. But that's why I love Take Back the Night! It is one of the few opportunities that students and the community can come together to speak about gender-based violence.
Although hearing people’s experiences can be heartbreaking, the energy really revitalizes me and makes me want to work even harder to break the cycle of violence. I strongly believe that despite the possibility of having experienced violence yourself, all people can gain something from Take Back the Night. We all have the power to stop violence from happening around us, we just have to educate ourselves on what this violence looks like, what we can do and why we should care.
Take Back the Night volunteers work tirelessly to create resources and activities for students to engage in that will help develop their bystander engagement skills and enable them to play a role in ending gender-based violence. As a chair of this year's Campus Grassroots committee, I am beyond proud of the effort and devotion my team has put into this event.
The Jane Kopas Women’s Center at the University of Scranton will host the 26th Annual Take Back the Night march and rally on Thursday, April 28th, 2016 to honor people who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence, or stalking.
The pre-rally on the Dionne Green at the University of Scranton starts at 5:00 p.m. with resources and activities. At 7:15 p.m., we will march through campus and continue to Alumni Memorial Green for the rally.
The speak-out will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will not end until everyone who wants to share their story has had the opportunity to. The public is encouraged to participate in Take Back the Night as it offers a strong vocal and visual statement to the community for ending sexual violence both on and off college campuses.
P.S. Joe Biden- if you are reading this, please come! We would love to have you back in your hometown supporting a cause so dear to all of our hearts.
