The 41st annual Take Back the Night Rally, March and Speak Out Against Sexual and Domestic Violence will be held on Thursday. This year, the rally centers around disability justice and will feature keynote speaker Lydia X. Z. Brown, a disability rights activist.
The event, hosted by the University of Oregon Women’s Center and Sexual Assault Support Services of Lane County, will begin in the EMU Amphitheater at 6 p.m., followed by a march to the Atrium Building in Downtown Eugene at 7 p.m. and concludes with the open mic, speak out portion during which survivors will be able to share their experiences.
“We have to have these conversations with our friends, our family, our children, our classmates, our professors, our everybody throughout the day because this is happening right now to someone,” said Fatima Roohi Pervaiz, director of the Women’s Center. “If we can’t talk about it, we’re never going to prevent sexual violence. If we can’t say the word rape, we’re never going to prevent rape.”
Take Back the Night is a national, non-profit organization that aims to create awareness about rape and sexual violence through events like the Take Back the Night rally. At UO, student organizations and community members come together each year to talk about the issues and validate the experiences of survivors. It is held in April because it is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Each year, the rally centers around a different marginalized community. Pervaiz said Take Back the Night is designed with intersectionality and inclusivity in mind for groups whose voices are often left unheard. “All of the major events we put on and all of the educational programming we put out has to be intersectional, or it’s not feminism,” she said.
With disability justice as this year’s theme, organizers say the rally will be as inclusive as possible. Safe Ride will give rides during the march and back to campus after the speak out portion. Earplugs and playdough will be available for attendees if they’re feeling overwhelmed.
The Duck Nest will be open for attendees if they need to step away from the crowd. Posters for the event were created with braille and scripts of the speakers’ messages will be available, in addition to sign language interpreters and Spanish translators.
Olivia Rodriguez, a junior general science major and Women’s Center coordinator, said disabled people are more greatly affected by sexual violence than others.
“People with disabilities are twice as likely as the general population to experience rape and sexual assault,” said Rodriguez. “90 percent of all people with developmental disabilities will experience sexual assault, so this is a community that’s often overlooked.”
Also featured at the rally, in addition to Brown, will be speakers from UO Muxeres, the Black Student Union, the Native American Student Union, the Nontraditional Student Union, the LGBTQA3 Alliance and Planned Parenthood. Groups will be tabling at the rally and providing information and resources to attendees.
Organizers will be selling $15 tee-shirts that display a lavender crescent moon, red poppies and forget-me-nots to symbolize the remembrance of those lost in the battle against sexual violence. The event has a Title IX exemption, so anything shared will not be reported. All are welcome and encouraged to participate.
