Standing in front of a crowd of University of Oregon students, staff and Eugene community members in the EMU Amphitheater, UO student Ahsante Sankofa Foree shared their sexual assault story.
“Tonight, we take back the night, the day, the classroom, the bed and every inch on our body that they have touched,” Foree said as the crowd of more than 400 people joined together in cheering and clapping.
And so they did.
Students sit in the Erb Memorial Union Amphitheater. The ASUO Women’s Center and Sexual Assault Support Services of Lane County present Take Back the Night in Eugene on April 28, 2016. (Kaylee Domzalski/Emerald)
The Take Back the Night walk and events, now in its 38th year, are co-hosted by the ASUO Women’s Center and Sexual Assault Support Services on the last Thursday of April to raise awareness about sexual violence.
One group of students, who identified as Latina and called themselves Mujeres, had half of their faces painted. Selena Trevino, a member of the group, said it represented both survivors and those who have lost their lives to sexual assault. She is a survivor.
“I was crying for help … I was unprotected and lonely. What was a 4-year-old supposed to do?” Trevino asked as tears ran down her face.
A member of Mujeres is embraced after sharing her story during the 38th annual Take Back the Night events. (Amanda Shigeoka/Emerald)
Ariel Howland, a transgender activist, criticized campaigns trying to ban trans people from using public restrooms.
“These campaigns are about opposing trans people from existing … and to say trans people put on a dress to rape women and children in bathrooms is absurd,” Howland said. “We need to make sure anti-sexual assault programs are fully funded and trans-inclusive … We need to demand for trans people to pee in peace.”
Jackie Sandmeyer, a member of the Sexual Wellness Advocacy Team and campus trainer for the Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force, spoke out for the LGBTQA community.
“It’s funny that Title IX passed 30 years ago, and just now we got around to talking about safety,” Sandmeyer said. “If you think this is a women’s issue or a gender issue, I’m sorry, but you are wrong.”
After the speeches, the crowd got up and marched through campus to downtown Eugene, where the SpeakOut took place. As they marched, they chanted things like:
“Hey hey, ho ho, sexual violence got to go.”
“What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!”
“Fuck your blue, fuck your pink, fuck your gender roles, they stink.”
Mckenna O’Dougherty and Francisco Toledo chant and hold their signs during the march. (Kaylee Domzalski/Emerald)
The SpeakOut event provided a safe and confidential environment for students and community members to share their experiences. No type of recording was allowed, and mandatory reporting was not applied to any students at the evening’s events.
Mckenna O’Dougherty and Francisco Toledo chant and hold their signs during the march. The ASUO Women’s Center and Sexual Assault Support Services of Lane County present Take Back the Night in Eugene, Ore. on Thursday, April 28, 2016. (Kaylee Domzalski/Emerald)