On April 3rd, the Knights Against Violence hosted a Take Back the Night Event on the Mirenda Center lawn to bring awareness to sexual violence. The global movement known as “Take Back the Night” aims to bring an end to sexual violence, particularly against women.
The movement was started in the 1970s as a response to women’s fear and danger when they went out alone at night to walk. Today, it incorporates different types of sexual viciousness, including assault, aggressive behavior at home, and rape.
Rallys, marches, and other events that aim to empower survivors of sexual violence and raise awareness of the problem are typical components of the movement. It also gives survivors a place to tell their stories and demands that those responsible for the crime be held accountable.
During this event, Neumann’s invited guest speaker, Yesenia Taveras, who is a survivor of sexual assault, discussed her past traumatic experience when she was in college and how she managed to keep pushing in life. She has traveled and spoken many times, sharing her story to bring more awareness to how important it is to speak up.
It was a very emotional atmosphere with students getting teary-eyed listening to the story Taveras was sharing.
The speech was very eye-opening but also empowering as she emphasized how it is important to keep fighting and that it is never too late to ask for help. Even though she felt completely hopeless and hurt at the time, she found a way to get justice to make sure no one else had to get hurt by that person.
“When you become a survivor, you understand the depths of life,” she told the crowd, a statement intended to make people think about how they view and cherish life.
The director for violence prevention and victim assistance, Tiphané Purnell helped set the blueprint for this event as she has been doing this event since 2012 when it was called “Take Back the You.”
Graduate Assistant Davia Campbell helped add to the event this year as different awareness tables gave information about possible signs that could lead to violence. The clothesline project was a part of the event as well, as students were able to express their emotions by writing powerful messages on t-shirts and hanging them on a clothesline to be viewed. This project is intended to show those affected by violence that they will always have support from someone.
There was also a march that took place during the event. Students walked from the Mirenda Center lawn around O’Neill Hall and Bachmann back to the Mirenda lawn to raise awareness on campus during sexual assault awareness month.
Davia talked about how she was inspired to host this event as she believes it is something that is needed on college campuses. “The goal is to bring awareness to traumatic experiences but doing so in having both the student perspective and the survivor’s perspective, knowing that they are not alone,” she said.
She has wanted to organize an event like this since her freshman year to help build awareness and allow students to get involved with the cause.
There is another event on Tuesday, April 18th for RAINN Day (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), also hosted by the Knights Against Violence.
