Take Back The Night

I want to take a personal moment to talk about the event Take Back the Night. This was an event at my school the other night I attended. It was one of the most moving events I have been too. So what you may be wondering, what is Take Back the Night? According to their website, "Over the years, Take Back The Night has become internationally known, as a way to take a stand against sexual violence and speak out against these horrible crimes. The first documented Take Back The Night event in the United States took place in October of 1975 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Citizens rallied together after the murder of young microbiologist, Susan Alexander Speeth, who was stabbed to death by a stranger no more than a block away from her home while walking the streets, alone. The first international Take Back The Night event occurred at The International Tribunal on Crimes against Women. The Tribunal took place March 4-8, 1976 in Brussels, Belgium. Over 2000 women, representing 40 countries, attended the event. In other parts of Europe, Take Back The Night began under the name "Reclaim the Night". In 1976 there were roughly 16,000 rapes reported in Rome which fueled the "Reclaim the Night" movement in Italy. The movement expanded from Rome to West Germany, where women were harassed and assaulted both day and night. Women in West Germany held their first "Reclaim the Night" on April 30, 1977." (http://takebackthenight.org/about) After the event's start and introductions, the survivors, if they chose, got up to share their stories. But on your way into the event, you were given a fake flower pedal, and if a particular story touched you, you gave your pedal to the person who shared their story. The person who shared their story was given a little white box to put the pedals in to keep as a reminder. After the survivors were done sharing their stories, there was a march to protest the violence. The point, to me, of sharing a story, not only to share their story to "shatter the silence through story sharing," but to heal, to some degree, and have support by people who genuinely care, from peers, to counselors and staff at my school. The event was Southern Connecticut State University's annual event to stop the violence. The overwhelming theme was Shatter The Silence. That everybody should step up to stop the violence. If you see something, say something. To me what was really neat about the event, not only did it bring awareness to the subject of sexual violence and that it should be stopped not only by the ones committing the violence, but by anyone who has witnessed the violence. But the stories shared were incredibly moving. I think that people should stop the violence. If you can attend one of these events, please do so. Or visit, http://takebackthenight.org/about.