Rally. March. Speak-Out.

Take Back the Night (TBTN) is an event where women, men and trans* individuals join together to speak out against sexual and domestic violence.  Join us on:

Monday March 30, 2016 @ 7:00 pm

History of Take Back the Night

Take Back the Night is an annual event, observed throughout the United States as well as internationally, that brings community members together to speak out about sexual violence, relationship violence, and other forms of interpersonal violence. Take Back the Night provides an opportunity for community members to proclaim that each individual has the right to live free from violence and for the voices of those who have been affected by violence to be heard.

The origins of Take Back the Night are uncertain. Take Back the Night may have started in London, England in 1877, when women protested the fear and violence they experienced in streets at night. Others believe that the first rally occurred in 1976 in Belgium when women attending the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women lit candles and took to the streets to denounce the continuation of violence against women. Regardless of the origin of Take Back the Night, what is clear is the importance of these events. Thousands of Take Back the Night marches and rallies have taken place worldwide, including on college campuses, and this tradition continues.

Traditionally held in April each year, Take Back the Night is a collaboration of campus and community members, coming together to take a stand against all violence, to raise awareness about attitudes that perpetuate violence, and to discuss ways we can work together to make the night safe for all members of the community. Take Back the Night at Syracuse University is a series of events designed to bring all members of our community together to encourage dialogue about sexual, relationship and other forms of interpersonal violence. The events culminate in a rally, march and speak-out at Hendricks Chapel. The rally and march provide a forum for members of our community to come together to take a stand publicly and proclaim that the violence must end. The speak-out that follows is a smaller, private gathering where individuals have the opportunity to talk in a safe space about how violence has impacted their lives and to talk with one another about what each of us can do to work to end the violence.


 

Take Back the Night Proclamation

The following is the Take Back the Night invitation to support a community committed to ending sexual and relationship violence.

“As members of the Syracuse University and SUNY ESF community, the faculty and staff of our department/office will not tolerate any form of sexual or relationship violence on this campus. Every member of our community is entitled to live and work in a respectful, safe environment, and we are committed to work toward creating such an environment. It is on all of us to support those impacted by sexual and relationship violence and demonstrate our commitment to speaking up and stepping in.”

Supporters of this commitment will be recognized in posters and a Daily Orange ad the week of Take Back the Night.

For more information, visit the Office of Health Promotion’s webpage.