Fresno State students and community members participate in a
candlelight vigil during last year’s “Take Back the Night” event.
Phong Ly / Collegian File Photo
The Fresno State Women’s Resource Center and Women’s Alliance will present “Take Back the Night” on campus at the Free Speech Area on Wednesday, Oct. 19 from 5 to 9 p.m.
Take Back the Night is an annual event worldwide that gives people, women or men, the chance to break the silence and understand the power of speaking out. Rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse and domestic violence are often considered “crimes of silence” because of their social discomfort with public discussion and are often crimes that go unreported to police.
“[Take Back the Night] is a safe place for people to come share their stories,” Karina Lopez said.
Karina Lopez is the president of Fresno State’s chapter of Take Back the Night. She started out as a volunteer and has gradually worked her way to becoming president of the chapter.
“Take Back the Night began as students or workers, the majority of them women, who feared walking alone at night,” Lopez said.
“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,” Lopez said.
The first Take Back the Night event occurred in Philadelphia in October of 1975 when citizens of Philadelphia came together after the murder of a young microbiologist, Susan Alexander Speech, who was stabbed by a stranger a block from her house while walking home alone.
Survivors of these “crimes of silence” are asked to Shatter the Silence. Shatter the Silence is located at the Take Back the Night headquarters and promotes the power of speaking out against the violence. It allows people to post their stories and show that they will not tolerate these crimes anymore.
Take Back the Night is a rally that is normally followed by a candle-lit march around campus to symbolize a woman’s walk through the darkness to overcome the fear of violence and raise awareness to future violence.
Senam Bansah is a second-year volunteer for this event who will be presenting poems, setting up booths and talking to the media.
“This really is an incredible event to have on campus,” Bansah said.
The rally will start in the Free Speech Area where poems will be read, victims will give their testimonials and then a march that starts out towards Shaw Avenue all around campus and ends at the pit where there will be an “open mic night” for anybody to tell stories. Everybody is welcome to come to this event and give his or her support.
“You get a warm feeling inside, it makes you realize that people do care,” Bansah said.