Hundreds gathered Thursday evening in the EMU Amphitheater to participate in the 29th annual Take Back the Night rally and march.
An event held worldwide, Take Back the Night raises awareness about sexual violence with a rally, march and survivor speak-out. At the University, the UO Women’s Center and Sexual Assault Support System host the well-known event.
Carmen Hinckley, the Sexual Violence Prevention and Education Coordinator for the ASUO Women’s Center, said that this year’s theme, Voices of the Unheard, aims to “draw more attention to groups that have not previously been heard and empower everyone who has been touched by sexual violence.”
“We can work toward ending sexual violence,” Hinckley said of the event she called crucial toward that end.
To kick off the rally were performances by Divisi, the UO Jam Squad, and the Radical Cheerleaders, a protest and performance group that performed cheers such as “we’re sexy, we’re cute, we’re radical to boot” and “no means no, it don’t mean maybe.”
The event also included speakers and a performance by SWAT, the University’s Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team, who performed monologues that represented the voices of the unheard.
Among the speakers present were Patrice Baker, who spoke about sexual abuse in the military and Terrie Quinteros, executive director of the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
“By surviving, you have shown someone else that they too will survive,” Quinteros said in her speech about the importance of fighting back against sexual violence.
Molly McFatrich, who has coordinated and participated in Take Back the Night events in other cities, said this event is important because it gets the message out about preventing sexual assault, and she enjoys seeing the community “get behind empowering survivors.”
Following the rally, participants marched to 8th Avenue and Oak Street with the aid of police, who blocked off streets along the way. The event’s Safety Team ensured participants were not taunted or endangered along the way.
Participants marched to the beat of drums and whistles as community members watched from porches and balconies. They chanted and held signs that said, “No more violence, no more rape, no more silence, no more hate.”
Sophomore Eric Lake, a member of SWAT and the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, said the march is the best part of the evening.
“You know a lot of people are survivors and a lot of people are allies,” Lake said. “It’s really empowering.”
Lake enjoys being a part of the event because it helps to “break the myth that all men rape and all Greek men rape.”
The survivor speak-out was held once marchers arrived downtown, giving an open forum to participants to tell their stories. Survivors told emotional stories in the hopes of empowering others and letting other survivors know they are not alone.
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