A group of students rallied last Thursday night in front of the residential quad in representation of mentally, physically and emotionally battered women all across the world to raise public awareness of violence against women.Huddled in front of University Hall, students stood and listened to short stories, poems and personal accounts of violence against women. Small hand-outs were distributed, reminding students of the chant they were to recite during their march to Market St. and then back down Walnut St. Organized by the Women?s Center, Take Back the Night began at 7 p.m. and lasted until 10 p.m. During this time, tears were shed while the poems of battered women were felt and heard all across the country.
Take Back the Night rallies have been held throughout the United States since 1978. The first Take Back the Night originated in Germany in 1973 in response to a series of sexual assaults, rapes and murders. Today, marches are held in numerous cities in the United States, Canada, Latin America, India and Europe.
The purpose of Take Back the Night is to promote public awareness of the many crimes against women that go unpunished. As they walked in protest of violence against women they recited the words; “We march to demand that the perpetrators of this violence the batterers, the rapists, the murderers–be held responsible for their actions and be made to change.”
While initially the event aimed to protest conditions causing women to feel unsafe when they are alone at night on the streets, “night” is also a metaphor for the fear, isolation, coercion and cruelty that women experience daily in a rape culture. Take Back the Night offers women an opportunity to take what might otherwise be private experiences of injustice and break the silence by publicly naming these wrongs. The rally seeks to empower women and help them to realize that they can protect themselves without the necessity of men.
Here at West Chester the rally has been conducted annually for a number of years. Through the efforts of the dedicated members of the Women?s Center, WCU has become another outlet for the awareness of women violence to be advertised.
A newcomer to the rally stated, “It was so touching, so sad.” The poems and stories of the women were true. Marches and rallies like Take Back the Night seek to end the stories thatare told and to provide protection for those who feel like they do not have any. For more information about Take Back the night, contact Robin Garrett or a member of the Women?s Center.
The Women?s center is located on the second floor of Lawrence Hall.