Annual Take Back the Night event protests violence against women

The Tufts Feminist Alliance (TFA) protested violence against women in the annual Take Back the Night event held Monday night on the Tisch Library rooftop.

The purpose of the event was to send the message to the campus that violence happens, but women need to refuse to be afraid, and refuse to be victimized, according to co-organizer Emily Rhodes.

The event began with a silent candlelight vigil, followed by a performance by the Jackson Jills. The vigil was followed by a rally that featured Linda McMaster from the Transition House, New England's first Battered Women's Shelter.

McMaster told the stories of three different women who sought support or aid from the shelter, touching on various types of abuse, which ranged from a woman who was beat with a baseball bat by her husband to a woman who received countless death threats from her boyfriend.

Statistically, one in three women will be violently attacked in their lifetime, she said.

As the stories were told, a common theme emerged: "All of these women were affected by domestic violence, and all of them reached out for help," McMaster said. "You don't have to be a victim or a survivor to call [the hotline]; it is your responsibility to speak up."

McMaster was followed by Sonia Chin, a Tufts University Police Department officer, who spoke of the various resources available on campus for victims of domestic violence. She also spoke on how to prevent domestic violence from happening in the first place. "Creating awareness is one of our highest priorities," she said.

Once Chin finished her speech, the microphone was turned over to anyone who wished to comment on the issue, and many tear-filled stories were shared.

Various students stepped out to speak of their horrific experiences with domestic violence, and what they learned from it. One girl told of how her mother was called names ranging from "bitch" to "slut" by her husband every day for 21 years. "After 21 years of feeling like shit everyday, my mom picked herself up and raised all three of us" children, she said, as she burst into a fit of sobbing. "We're fine, we're survivors"

After the speakers, the group marched to the Olin Center.

Take Back the Night rallies and marches began in England as a protest against the fear that women encountered walking the streets at night. The first Take Back the Night event in the United States was held in San Francisco in 1978. The event is now held nationwide.

Colleges across the country set aside a night in October to observe Take Back the Night. According to Rhodes, attendance at the Take Back the Night rally at Wesleyan University exceeds 500 people.

The event does not raise funds _ it's sole purpose is to create responsiveness on campus. "If it makes one person feel supported or safer on campus, then we've succeeded," Rhodes said.