My First Take Back the Night Will Not Be My Last

by Kaitlyn Azevedo 

Wow, where do I even begin?? Take Back the Night was so awesome, I can only help but feel like we touched and impacted so many people by putting on this event. This semester, I am not only lucky to be an intern, but I was on the TBTN committee as well. This was super cool because I had never been to a Take Back the Night before, and so putting it together and getting to see it turn out so well was really special.

Although it only lasted for three hours, I learned how much effort, time, and detail really go into the coordination and preparation in order to make the event run as smoothly as it did. Having an experienced mentor such as Kerrie also helped, as she was able to guide us new interns, and teach us the ropes of putting together TBTN.

During class talks and tabling I could see the different reactions people would have regarding the focal point of Take Back the Night. There were tons of people who said they wanted to come and were interested in what the event is about, while others wanted nothing to do with it. This struck me as interesting, and just further exemplifies the need for education regarding the frequency of sexual assault, domestic violence, and rape. It was also empowering to see people come who were initially hesitant about the event, but still stretched their boundaries.

We had two great days of tabling; there was a wide spread variety of organizations that came, and lots of interest was shown by people passing by. I felt like these two days were a great way to kick off the event, and to have interaction between the campus community and some of the clubs.

Another awesome thing to add to an already wonderful event, was the fact that our event was used for a movie! The anthropology professor Jesse Dizzard and a fellow student are making a documentary regarding people's knowledge of sexual assault, and to further educate and enlighten people of its prevalence. They took footage of us tabling, the speech that our keynote speaker Kate Transchel gave, as well as the actual march. I also had the experience of being interviewed for the film, which was really cool. I think the subject of their movie goes hand-in-hand with our Take Back the Night, and was so glad they were able to catch our event on camera. Now, hopefully, our message can be passed even further along.

Before Tuesday night, I was really anxious to see how many people were going to come make posters during tabling, how much the Toms we were going to be auctioned for, and ultimately, how many people would show up. As a student, I know it can be intimidating or uncomfortable to go to club's events for the first time (which could potentially be the reason I hadn't attended TBTN until Tuesday) but that night we had a really great turn out of people, including returners and first-timers alike. The overall energy of the event was really powerful, and it was clear to see that the people who came out to participate were there for one main reason: to end violence against people!

I am so grateful I not only attended Take Back the Night, but being able to help administer and facilitate this amazing event was something I will always remember. There were a lot of firsts during this experience, but now that I've put my foot in the door, I plan on Taking Back Many more Nights!

History of Take Back the Night

by Jessica Arriaga

The anxiety women feel when walking alone at night, the potential fear that they can radiate the body, the danger people say “they are putting themselves in,” and the fact that a women simply cannot feel safe when the sun goes down are all reasons why Take Back the Night began

According to takebackthenight.org the first Take Back the Night in the United States occurred in October of 1975 in Philadelphia. People partook in the event after Susan Alexander Speeth, a young microbiologist was stabbed and murdered while walking home alone. The first Take Back the Night to take place over seas happened in Brussels, Belgium March 4-8 in 1976. In Belgium the event was huge, two thousand women representing 40 countries attended. Both in Philadelphia and in Belgium there was a candlelit progression; these were the first documented Take Back the Night Marches

In Europe the event is called Reclaiming the Night and it started in Rome in 1976. The reported 16,ooo rapes that year are what fueled Reclaim the Night, that is a lot of women, a lot of individuals that were affected by violence. This brings me to the point that rape does not solely affect the individual but also affects so many people associated with the victim. From Rome, the event took place in Germany, on April 30 1977, which was a place where women suffered constant harassment both during the day and at night. This important movement began to grow and become acknowledged, and the next city to hold the event was Leeds, England in November of 1977. Leeds put on the event in response to many, many women being attacked, raped, and killed. These women were all prostitutes, but that was not a welcome to violence against them

Australia and India also began putting on Reclaim the Night events. Australia’s events first aimed to raise awareness against abortion and contraception. In Bombay, India after a pregnant woman was gang raped women put on a Reclaim the Night in March of 1978

In New York, the first march for women was held in 1976 and it was not until 1977 that the slogan “Take Back the Night” was brought to light by a woman named Anne Pride. In 1978 San Franciscans put on a Take Back the Night in protest to pornography, which I find interesting being that so many of us see this event used to mainly protest violence usually of a sexual nature against women. In Canada, The Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centers declared the third Friday of September the official evening for Take Bake the Night marches nationwide

For over 30 years women have been speaking out at these Take Back the Night events attempting to combat and raise awareness of violence against women. The event seeks to eliminate all forms of sexual violence. Thousands of colleges, universities, Women’s Centers and rape crisis centers have sponsored these events all over the country, and the AS Women Center is extremely proud to be one of those organizations

Please come and join us Tuesday night for our spring Take Back the Night Event! We will be tabling both Monday and Tuesday morning. On Tuesday at 7:30pm The Women only Survivor speak out will take place and the Gender Inclusive Workshop will be going on simultaneously. We encourage women to come tell their stories, read a poem, or anything they feel comfortable sharing. The Gender Inclusive Workshop will cover bystander awareness, how we perpetuate rape culture in our society and tips on how to combat it. At 8:30 the Keynote address will be given by Kate Transchel who is a professor in the History Department on campus and has done extensive research on sex trafficking. Following the keynote will be a silent candle-lit march at 9:00pm. This event is extremely empowering and strives to promote change. So please come out and support the cause.

Rape Culture in Our Day to Day Lives

by Taure Shimp

Acts of violence against women and rape are not isolated events—they take place in the context of a larger cultural system (known as rape culture) that normalizes the mistreatment of women in insidious ways. Wikipedia sums up the concept of rape culture by saying, “Within [rape culture], acts of sexism are commonly employed to validate and rationalize normative misogynistic practices; for instance, sexist jokes may be told to foster disrespect for women and an accompanying disregard for their well-being, which ultimately make their rape and abuse seem ‘acceptable.’ Examples of behaviors that typify rape culture include victim blaming and sexual objectification. In this way, sexualized violence towards women is regarded as a continuum in a society that regards women's bodies as sexually available by default.” This is profoundly problematic for obvious reasons.

One of the ways rape culture manifests itself is in “rape schedules,” which scores of women live by. Many of us find ourselves scheduling our lives around the threat of rape: a woman studying in the university library will feel pressure to leave before dark so that she can walk somewhat confidently to her car, the bus, or her bike. Joe Sharkey wrote a piece for the New York Times wherein business consultant Carol Margolis observed that for travelling business women, a fear of harassment “restricts some women on the road from leaving their hotels and really enjoying their travels in their off time.” Our lives are limited by the inability to move confidently through the world at all times of day.

This is why events like Take Back the Night are so important. Take Back the Night is an event consisting of workshops, speakers, and a silent march to raise awareness about violence and rape against women. Take Back the Night is, in many ways, a refusal to abide by the edicts of a rape schedule. CSU, Chico’s own Take Back the Night will be taking place on March 8, 2011. The event opens with two workshops beginning at 7:30; one is a women’s only survivor speak out where women can share their own experiences in a safe environment. The other is a workshop for both men and women. Keynote speaker Dr. Kate Transchel will address participants at 8:30 and the night culminates in a silent, candle-lit march beginning at 9:00 pm. Come be part of this empowering event!

For more information about Rape Culture (and the movements to change it), check out these links:

1.      Yes Means Yes
2.      Stop Street Harassment 
3.      Ihollaback.org 

Take Back the Night; Spring 2011

AS Women’s Center

BMU 002

Chico, CA 95928

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT

Raising Awareness about Sexual Assault and Violence against Women

CHICO, CA- 

Take Back the Night is an opportunity for students and community members to come together and recognize the ongoing issue of rape culture and violence

against women.

This is a night to acknowledge and empower survivors of sexual assault, a night to empower and educate friends, family and supporters, a night to reclaim our right to feel safe and secure after dusk. Join us to TAKE BACK THE NIGHT!

Monday, March 7th

10:00-2:00pm 

Free Speech Area, Informational Tabling

Tuesday, March 8th

10:00-2:00 pm

Free Speech Area, Informational Tabling

7:30 pm

BMU 210, Women Only Survivor Speak Out: A place for women to speak out about their experiences in a safe and supportive setting. Women are encouraged to share personal stories, or express their experiences through conversation, poems, journal entries, etc.

BMU 304, Gender Inclusive Workshop: An interactive workshop focused on combating rape culture in our community and society. The discussion will include ideas about how individuals can aid in eradicating the perpetuation of violence against women.

8:30 pm

Common Grounds, Keynote Address by Professor Kate Transchel, History Department

9:00 pm

Free Speech Area, Silent Candle-lit March: A silent march to raise awareness about sexual assault and violence against women.

                                                                                                                                For further information, contact:

                                                                                                Jillian Ruddell, Director of the AS Women’s Center

                                                                                                (P) 530-898-5724

                                                                                                Email:ASWOMENSCENTERSD@CSUCHICO.EDU