DUBOIS – The Penn State DuBois students raised awareness for violence toward women on Wednesday evening. According to takebackthenight.org: Over the last 30 years in the United States, Take Back the Night is to raise awareness and focus on eliminating violence in all forms. Thousands of colleges, universities, women’s centers and rape crisis centers have sponsored events all over the country.
“The Take Back the Night rally is a chance for individuals to come together and “Take Back the Night” from violence,” Staci Neal president of Students, Allies, Friends and Educators (SAFE) said.
The Take Back the Night rally consisted of powerful testimonies by Penn State DuBois survivors of violence, a short reenactment, a reading from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and a candlelight vigil (which was substituted with glow sticks) and a moment of silence.
“At Penn State DuBois, we plan to use the Take Back the Night rally to end our Clothesline Project, which is another event to raise awareness and protest all violence against women,” Neal said. The Clothesline project provides an opportunity for individuals to make a shirt to honor or remember a woman who has been the victim of violence.
This year, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Allies (LGBTA) club and SAFE on campus planned it, Neal said. She also said there are many volunteers from other clubs on campus such as Student Government Association (SGA) and Certified Peer Educators (CPE).
An important way for Penn State DuBois and the DuBois community to be aware and prevent violence is by continuing to have events such as these to raise awareness of the violence against women and opening the dialogue for survivors to speak, Neal said.
“The shame has to be taken out of the word of rape, and victims need to truly feel like survivors,” Neal said. “By teaching our young children that touching anyone without permission is wrong, and that no means no, we can start to remove the violence that is committed against women every day.”
“Your silence will not protect you”
-Audre Lorde
