Take Back the Night, which begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in front of Olin Library, is an annual event that supports survivors of sexual violence. It is composed of three parts: a march around campus, speak-out circles where survivors share their stories, and a candlelight vigil.
Many stereotypes and false assumptions about sexual violence originate from a lack of open conversation, and our campus is no exception. As the opinion piece we ran last Tuesday shows better than we can express, experiences with sexual assault can differ enormously from “the traditional rape script.” Therefore, we have difficulty grasping the reality of sexual assault, as well its prevalence in society; many of us would be shocked to hear that 1 in 3 women are sexually assaulted.
Even if these facts are not new, we strongly urge the Wesleyan student body to attend Take Back the Night; no matter how much someone knows about sexual violence, only survivors can truly understand and educate others about the reality of sexual assault.
Coming to terms with sexual assault is an extremely difficult process, and opening up about it in a public forum is even harder; the least we can do is show survivors solidarity and respect by learning from their experiences.
However, let’s extend our support of sexual assault survivors beyond Take Back the Night, and convince the administration to provide more sexual assault resources for students, especially considering that Wesleyan has yet to hire professionals trained in supporting sexual assault survivors.
Let’s attend Take Back the Night in greater numbers than have been seen in years, and truly demonstrate our commitment to increasing awareness of sexual assault and preventing it in our community and everywhere.
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