Last Tuesday, October 14, 2008, marked a celebratory day for female empowerment at the University at Buffalo. I don’t think I’m the only one who has noticed the somewhat chaotic atmosphere that resulted from the South Campus sexual assault incidents. We didn’t know what to do. We didn’t know who to blame. It shocked us all. On Tuesday, however, Take Back The Night, sponsored by SBI Health Education Services, turned it all around. It put things back into perspective.
Take Back The Night invited speakers Brandi Sutherland, Training Specialist, and John Bell, Hotline Case Manager for Crisis Services, to share their experiences with the organization. They told us things we probably didn’t want to hear— about women who couldn’t stand the thought of being around a man because, “they knew what it meant when a man walked into a room,” women who couldn’t bear to even speak of their trials. They’ve heard it all: 14 year old girls, young women, frightened and traumatized by people they thought were friends, family, and people who were strangers. Then they told us what we could do about it. Listen. Listen to your friends, listen to the women in your life, and believe them. There are millions of sexual assault and rape cases in which women are deemed liars, or just told that they were mistaken. They were confused. It hadn’t really happened… or had it?
After listening to the Royal Pitches, the Men’s Group, and reading numerous pledges against sexual violence, we took part in a kick ass march from Harriman Hall to Winspear Avenue, and back, armed with candles, banners, and our voices. Our chants rang shrill in the darkness of Main Street. It was fantastic. I’ve never exchanged smiles with that many people and felt that we were fighting for the same purpose. It was a high I am still unable to descend from. Talk about a magic carpet ride.
Never being much of a social activist, I hadn’t experienced the solidarity of the people and the emotional investment in the cause. Then I heard the “Men’s Pledge” against sexual violence against women. Guys from my classes, guys that live in my building, guys I had seen walking down the Academic Spine, stood up and read the pledge to protect, support, and listen. Was it wrong of me to shed a few tears? Because I couldn’t help it. I only wished even more of the males that I knew personally were there to take that vow. It would have meant so much.
There’s something very poignant in the unanimous decision of several hundred people to come together and fight for justice. This issue’s article about PUSH (People United for Sustainable Housing) describes the efforts made by the activist group to organize a rally. The story talks about how different and unique the people who attended the rally were, in lifestyle and background. The notion that they all found a common idea that they felt so passionate about is pretty monumental, considering the apathy most people feel nowadays about social justice. That’s what made Take Back The Night so crucial. For all of us women in attendance, just seeing the large turn out and hearing the inspiring words of the community was enough to make the streets feel safer.
I’ll be the first one to say that at four foot eleven, and 110 lbs., I have walked alone at night, hearing footsteps behind me that compelled me to walk at uncomfortable speeds, clutching my purse, my insides shrinking at the thought of being attacked. But, when the thought turns into reality, it’s a whole different ball game. Marching with Take Back The Night, Generation banner in hand (“Generation— Less Rape, More Cake”), was the first time I felt like the streets were mine to peruse. The night was young, and we were taking it back one step, one candle, one slogan at a time. The night was mine.
