Take Back the Night began in the 1960’s in Europe and has since spread around the world to over 30 countries.
Take Back the Night, an annual campus event dedicated to speaking out against sexual violence, will begin on Tuesday. The event will consist of panels, workshops, a coffeehouse, and a march to raise awareness of sexualized violence. Take Back the Night’s website states, “No one should fear the night . . . or the day. Make RESPECT the standard.”
This year’s theme, “Beneath the Surface,” will focus on understanding the psychological effects of sexual violence in the different contexts in which it occurs, such as church, workplace, and home.
It will begin this coming Tuesday, March 24th with a coffeehouse, poetry reading, Candle release, and printmaking t-shirts in the campus center basement; Wednesday will feature a short film and panel discussion lead by Title IX Coordinator, Nancy Murphy, featuring Professors Ted Murphy, Kristina Lacelle-Peterson, and Paul Young; lastly, Thursday will have workshops led by the Students For Gender Equality group with speaker Wendy Baxter. The night will conclude with a march around campus, beginning at the chapel steps, and a candle lighting in support of the survivors of sexual violence.
Organizing and leading Take Back the Night are coordinators, Luke Lauer ’15, Connor Vogan ‘15, Katherine Tomlinson ‘15, and Allyson Murphy ‘16. The coordinators hope this will be a chance to combat prejudices, misguided assumptions, and the lack of understanding concerning the psychological impact of violence.
The workshops will be a chance to engage in discussion about sexual violence within the in various contexts and how to support survivors. Tomlinson said the intent of this event is, “Reforming our approach and our conversation on this topic.”
The Take Back the Night movement, of which Houghton is just a part, began in the 1960s in Europe and has since spread around the world to over 30 countries. According to their website, the purpose of the organization “is to create safe communities and respectful relationships through awareness events and initiatives. [They] seek to end sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse and all other forms of sexual violence.” Events focus on raising awareness of sexual violence, providing resources for victims, protesting rape culture, pornography, and the stigma against victims of sexual assault.