"Take Back the Night" breaks the silence to discuss sexual violence against women
As a part of raising awareness about violence toward women, the Women's Center also hosts the annual event "Take Back the Night" every Spring, which speaks out against domestic violence and sexual assaults. The event is mainly for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assaults. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come support it and speak out in a march.
Amanda Garlick says she would continue working at the Women's Center after her first year is done.
Oblio Stroyman, a university women's studies minor, participated in the march last year.
"I feel like it's important to empower survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and to speak out about what happens," she said. "I think that's important to break the silence for people to discuss what happens to them."
About 200 people participated in the march, and they started from the EMU Amphitheater and marched downtown, Stroyman said.
At the end of the rally, there was a platform where women could go up and tell their stories. The women talked about assaults againt them, the impact of the assaults and their aftermaths, and overcoming the problems associated with their assaults, according to Stroyman.
Stroyman said that the rally empowered a lot of people in the community.
"When people are quiet about the experiences they have, they are all alone. But when people come out and speak about the experience that they have, they can get support from other people," she said. "And also they are supporting other people by showing other people that they are not all alone. I think it was empowering the whole community."
Stroyman said the Women's Center is an important place for women to get support they need.
"I think it's a super-important resource for women to go and have a space to get support in different aspects of women's life they need to connect with," she said.
"I see the Women's Center as a way to bring evey woman together, create community for women," Garlick said. "We don't have to have the same ideas about what feminism is, about ways to be a woman. We just bring women together, help each other."
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