Take Back the Night- Hope Through Trauma

Last Sunday, I attended my first Take Back the Night, and it was one of the most powerful events that I have ever been too. In the past few weeks there have been a lot of events on Eckerd’s campus surrounding the topic of sexual assault, and a lot of fliers have been posted with shocking statistics. Last week Eckerd was visited by Grace Brown, who created the tumblr famous photo series that is known as Project Unbreakable, which depicts survivors of sexual assault and violence holding signs with quotes from their attackers, or from people responding to their story. I attended and thought that I would be prepared for Take Back the Night (TBTN), and that it wouldn’t affect me after how powerful Grace’s presentation had been, but it was a whole different story.

survivor shirts

I got up “early” at 10am on Sunday to go volunteer with the setup and various other parts of TBTN and was on my way to Tampa by 11. When I arrived I started helping fill up water weights, get snack tables ready and stuffing oversized candles into wind protectors. It was hot and I was getting tired from the sun, and just a little bit grumpy, but I was still ready to help. The next project on the to-do list was to clothespin t-shirts up on clotheslines surrounding the park venue where the event was to take place. The shirts were made by survivors and said things about their various stories, or had pictures depicting their feelings, and some even had photographs of sexual assault victims who had not made it. After hanging the shirts up I began to really look at them, and they were extremely powerful. This was the moment I stopped and began to think about exactly what this event meant.

After lunch at Taco Bus, the event started to get under way. There were many performers and speakers that talked about the hard work that the police force and members of political organizations, the Airforce, the crisis centers and regular people who support survivors do on a regular basis. The most moving part of the whole evening was the Survivor Speakout. This was a time for people who had been through trauma to tell their stories, or just get up and talk about whatever they felt the need to. The most amazing thing about it was that the majority of people talked about how much their various support groups meant to them; whether it was in counseling, friends, family, policemen or other survivors. They emphasized that it was so important to be able to have someone to talk to and lean on during what is a very difficult time, and which usually takes years of healing.

Take Back the Night might seem like a very depressing or sad event, but in reality, it is one of the most hopeful occasions I have ever attended. Even if you are not a survivor, I think that everyone should go at least once and see how strong and passionate that these people are about hope and about helping others. It is a beautiful thing to have an entire day devoted to something so traumatizing, and have it be one of the most enlightening occurrences that exists. Sexual assault is prominent on every campus, in every neighborhood, and most likely in every family, and the only way to stop it is to make people aware and to give those who have already experienced it support.

I would like to finish with my favorite quote that one of the survivors said on Sunday night after telling her story, “Let’s take back tonight, and let’s take back EVERY night.”

For More Information:

National Sexual Assault Hotline: also available by telephone at 1.800.656.HOPE

Crisis Center of Tampa Bay: call 211 anywhere in the Tampa Bay area (that includes Eckerd) to receive help and information about sexual assault. These people are there to help!

Take Back the Night website

Take Back the Night Tampa Bay

Women’s Empowerment Society at Eckerd College