On Thursday evening, April 28, “Take Back the Night,” was held at Golden West to culminate Sexual Assault Awareness Week.
The Take Back the Night movement began in 1973, with the purpose of bringing awareness to the high number of sexual assaults that occur every day. It was reported that every 107 seconds another American is sexually assaulted.
While the crowd gathered, singer/songwriter Justine Dorsey entertained them with some of her original material. The ceremony began with a warm welcome by Melissa Lyon, Director of GWC’s Center for International and Intercultural Programs, followed by a heart-felt message from President Wes Bryan.
Brianna Michelle Redman
Brianna Michelle Redmann, member of the RAINN Speakers Bureau and sexual assault survivor, was the keynote speaker for the evening. The crowd of about 100 students, faculty, and staff sat in silence as she shared her story, “How I wish I could take back the night when I was kidnapped, raped, strangled, and left for dead.” Helping others through public speaking has given her the strength and courage to “take back her life” after that horrifying night.
Guests then participated in a candle-lit procession through campus, donning glow sticks and bracelets to light the way. Support stations were set up along the pathway by the football team, Criminal Justice Training Center, and the Student Health Center, offering flashlights, whistles, and other gifts.
The evening ended with a candlelight vigil led by GWC Counselor Nicole Diamond. She invited attendees to bring the 70 tea lights scattered around the student center patio to the table on the stage. “In the two hours that we’ve been together tonight, it is estimated that nearly 70 people in the U.S. have been sexually assaulted. These tea lights are a visual representation of the victims.”
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HISTORY OF “TAKE BACK THE NIGHT”
TBTN’s history spans over half a century. Decades ago in Europe, women from many countries met together as a tribunal council to discuss women’s safety when walking down public streets. In 1973, TBTN goers protested pornography in San Francisco, and serial murders of women of color in Los Angeles. In October 1975, a march was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after the murder of microbiologist Susan Alexander Speeth, who was stabbed to death while walking home alone. “Take Back the Night” was used as the title of a 1977 memorial read by Anne Pride at an anti-violence rally in Pittsburgh. One of TBTN’s Board members, Laura Lederer, named her book Take Back the Night, published by Harper Perennial on September 1, 1980.Canadians held one of their first marches to protest sexual violence in 1978 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Vancouver Rape Relief held Take Back The Night® marches from 1980-1985. In 1981, The Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centers declared the third Friday of September to be the designated date for Take Back The Night® marches nationwide. Since the 1970s in the United States, TBTN has focused on eliminating sexual and domestic violence in all forms. Thousands of colleges, domestic violence shelters, and rape crisis centers have held events all over the country.
For more information, visit http://takebackthenight.org/
