I had the absolute honor and privilege of attending Northwestern’s annual Take Back the Night on Thursday night. These events have been occurring all over the world for at least the past 30 years as a way of empowering women to, well, take back the night, and take back their rights to not be afraid to walk home alone at night. Or at least that’s what it’s traditionally about. At Northwestern especially, it’s morphed into something much broader and more inclusive than that – something about people asserting their rights to say no, not having to be uncomfortable, and owning the fact that nobody should be able to tell you how you feel.
These themes and many others stretched throughout the week of Take Back the Night and the traditional march and speak out that occurred Thursday night. Eva Ball, Northwestern’s brand new Sexual Violence Response Services Coordinator, kicked off the night with a rally speech at the rock. Sarah Daoud, one of the organizers for Take Back the Night, said Ball was an incredible speaker, and that they believe her rally speech “set the tone for an empowering and positive evening.”
The rally speech was followed by a march around campus, which, according to the Daily, was attended by about 150 marchers. Daoud was really happy with this number and said she believes it’s more than they’ve ever had before at a Take Back the Night march.
The march ended up at Norris, where students piled into the Dittmar Gallery for perhaps the most powerful part of the night – the Speak Out. The event was packed with about 50-60 students – male and female – and lasted for over two hours. Liz Coda, a junior at Northwestern, was one of the attendees and said even though there were some silent minutes where people were hesitant to speak up, there was never any awkwardness. “There seemed to be a mutual understanding among the group that someone would talk as soon as she (or he) was ready,” said Coda.
There were many people who went up to speak who did identify as survivors of rape or sexual assault, but there were also people who spoke about “Not Rape,” or other violations that feel just as harmful physically or emotionally. Coda, who does not identify as a victim of sexual assault, was still inspired to share a personal story. “I could feel the accepting, embracing energy of the room,” she said, “I only spent about an hour at the event, but it made a lasting impression I won’t soon forget.”
Daoud said that after the event, a lot of people approached her to thank her for providing an open forum where they could speak. “That felt wonderful and shitty at the same time,” she said. “I’m glad they had an opportunity to share what we believe are important stories, but I wish they felt like they were never silenced to begin with.”