On Monday Oct. 12, several members of the Sacred Heart community participated in the “Take Back the Night” event, held in order to raise awareness of sexual and domestic violence and abuse directed at women. Along with the support from the brothers of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, the night was a huge success.
Many women gave speeches about their experiences with sexual violence and rape culture, including a brave woman who recited a poem describing her experience. This is an important topic to bring awareness to, especially in our society’s political climate where women do not feel safe to speak out against men in positions of power who have harmed or taken advantage of them. Despite this, many women today are sharing their experiences and making sure their voices are heard.
During the night, we spoke about many sensitive topics that included women being accountable witnesses to their own experiences, and speaking their truth. Many students and members of the community came to make T-shirts in support of the cause and those affected by sexual and domestic violence. We hung them up for display outside the chapel, for all to see. Both women and men showed their support. It was a night of listening to and understanding survivors and showing support for the bravest and strongest members of our society.
We ended the night by marching from University Commons, past Seton and Merton, chanting inspirational and supportive messages, and then made our way to the amphitheater steps just below the upper quad. We filed onto the steps, standing next to each other, while every student held a lit candle in honor of the survivors. It was a beautiful image to see the student body, particularly members of Greek life, come together to support an imperative cause. We heard leaders of the organization speak including the President of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. We had many moments of silence, in order to show our respect and empathy for those who were brave enough to share their stories with us. It was a night of support, awareness, and love that our campus needed. Take Back the Night will hopefully be an annual event at Sacred Heart, so if you missed it this year, there are plenty more opportunities to show your support for those affected by sexual and domestic violence as well as speak up yourself and share your truth.