This week, Laramie residents will take a stand against sexual assault by participating in Take Back the Night, an international event focused on raising awareness of sexual violence and supporting survivors.
Take Back the Night will begin with the annual rally at 7 p.m. Thursday at Simpson Plaza.
“Sexual assault is a common crime, yet many people think that it’s not a problem or that it doesn’t happen here in Laramie,” Megan Selheim, STOP Violence Program Coordinator said, “Events like Take Back the Night let people know that sexual assault and rape are problems in Laramie and at the University of Wyoming, but that we all have the power and ability to take action and make change.”
Events for this year’s Take Back the Night include the rally, a march and a dance. This year’s rally will feature Slam Nuba, an award-winning slam poetry group based in Denver.
Since its creation, the Denver Slam Nuba team has performed in the semifinals every year at the largest poetry gathering in the world, the National Poetry Slam. In case of disagreeable weather, the rain location for the rally will be the Rendezvous Room in Washakie Hall.
The rally will be followed by the march, which will be at 8 p.m. in Simpson Plaza. Marchers will then walk their way downtown to 2nd Street, up Garfield and then on 13th Street to the Wyoming Union.
Immediately following the march at 9 p.m., The Magic Beans will headline the Moonlight Dance in Union Gardens in conjunction with Studio Wyo. The Magic Beans, native to Boulder, CO, have created a strong following with their self-described dance/electro-acoustic/fusion sound.
“We hope that this year’s event will be energetic, and that we will give people hope that we can stop sexual violence if we work together,” Selheim said. “However, we also allow that the event will provide people an outlet for anger and a space to grieve for what has been lost, and for those who never recovered from their experience of sexual violence.”
This event began in Belgium as Reclaim the Night in 1976. Since then, it has becomes a vehicle for people all over the world to protest violence in their communities. UW will join other colleges across the nation and the world during April to mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The entire event is free and open to the public.
Since the 1970s, this event has continued to raise awareness, provide survivors of sexual assault and rape an opportunity to speak out about their experiences and critically address the need to stop sexual violence. The event is cosponsored by the UW STOP Violence program and the Albany County SAFE Project, along with RSOs Men’s Action Network and SPEAK Out!
