Now an annual, international phenomenon, Take Back the Night will be recognized in Northampton this Friday with the support of numerous Smith organizations.

Though in 1975 the first Take Back the Night took place in Philadelphia as a relatively unorganized one-time march, interest has since spread globally. During the 1976 International Tribunal on Crimes against Women, over 2,000 women from 40 different countries marched in the Take Back the Night protest. Now, “TBTN” has become an annual vigil to support those who have endured or feared sexual or gender violence.

Students Against Sexual Assault at Smith has pioneered the reintroduction of Take Back the Night since its founding three years ago.  

“The event stopped happening at Smith some time ago – I’m not exactly sure when – and we brought it back to campus in 2010, the same year that another student and I decided to start SASA as an organization,” said Anne Watanabe ’12, one of the co-chairs of Students Against Sexual Assault.  

At Smith, Take Back the Night begins surrounding Chapin deck, where students hold a rally and candlelight vigil with solidarity statements from contributing organizations. Then students march through campus and Northampton.  This year, numerous student organizations, including Transcending Gender, the Black Students Alliance and Feminists of Smith Unite will be joining the march in solidarity.  

“The student organizations who are joining us will be reading or speaking a statement of solidarity and [discussing] how the issue of sexual and gender violence is relevant and pertinent…with regard to all groups. They’ll march with us, and they’ll carry a banner in solidarity and support of a universal cause,” said Tree Treacy ’12, another of SASA’s co-chairs.  

After the march students return to Chapin deck for a vigil and speak-out to discuss their personal stories, either in front of the group or anonymously as a piece to be read by a SASA member.  Afterwards, students will proceed to the Resource Center for Sexuality and Gender to recuperate and discuss their feelings in a more private, intimate setting.

According to Students Against Sexual Assault, the rally, march, speak-out and decompression are all important facets of the process; Take Back the Night has not changed much since its reintroduction. However, this year they are changing their process slightly.

“In the past we made the post- speak-out support space pretty unstructured, but this year we want to have a structured, facilitated discussion so that it’s an inclusive space for everyone to process things together,” said Watanabe. It is this process that will minimize the impact of negative, triggered feelings, and instead ensure a space of solidarity and understanding.

SASA’s Take Back the Night understands the difficulty of the subjects discussed during the different events.  Though all students are encouraged to come, the stories are certainly not easy to listen to.   

“I think the biggest thing is that this is supposed to be hard, not easy… If this was easy, then it wouldn’t be happening. It wouldn’t exist.  That’s why this is so important,” said Treacy.

 

Take Back the Night will meet in front of the campus center surrounding Chapin deck at 7:30 p.m..  For more information, contact the Students Against Sexual Assault (smithcollegesasa@gmail.com).