- A woman walks alone down a dark, deserted street. With every shadow she sees, and every sound she hears, her pounding heart flutters and skips a beat. She hurries her pace as she sees her destination become closer. She is almost there. She reaches the front door, goes inside, collects herself, and moves on forgetting, at least for tonight, the gripping fear that momentarily enveloped her life.
This scene could have occurred anywhere last night, last year, or even 100 years ago. Historically, women faced the anxiety of walking alone at night and that is why Take Back the Night (TBTN) began.
The first Take Back the Night event in the United States, for which we have received documentation, took place in Philadelphia in October of 1975. For many these marches are an entry point to political consciousness - just as the student-based civil-rights, anti-war, and free-speech movements were for those before. The "speak out" can be the click that first feeds an awakening, and many women report first recognizing a humiliating experience as a violation from hearing other women tell their stories at speak-outs.
Take Back The Night’s supporters have always understood the power of speaking out. Rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse and domestic violence are often labeled “crimes of silence” because of low reporting rates and social discomfort with their public discussion. Survivors of sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, and sexual abuse are invited to Shatter the Silence™ by posting your stories here at the Take Back The Night Headquarters.
Be a part of the solution by joining in on the planning and organizing of Take Back the Night 2016. Join Tech FMLA (Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance), faculty, staff, students and community members in supporting and telling our stories to help our world work toward eliminating sexual violence. Help plan Take Back the Night now!
CONTACT: Tech FMLA, email: ttu.fmla@yahoo.com, follow on Facebook and Twitter: @TechFMLA
