The 29th annual Take Back the Night Rally and March in Blacksburg will be held Thursday, March 29.
The purpose of the rally and candlelight march is to bring the community together to protest gender-based violence and to promote awareness of attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that perpetuate this violence.
United Feminist Movement, which organizes this event, encourages everyone to take action to change our society—a society in which many have reason to fear being out alone, particularly at night.
Participants will assemble between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Henderson Lawn Outdoor Stage on College Avenue in Downtown Blacksburg. (The rain location is the Graduate Life Center Auditorium at Virginia Tech.)
The rally will begin at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a march through campus and downtown Blacksburg, returning to the Henderson Lawn Outdoor Stage for a closing celebration.
The march route is accessible for individuals with mobility limitations. If you are a person needing assistance, please call 231-8041 at least one week in advance.
Take Back the Night events began in the 1970s and have been organized throughout the world. In 1978, a Take Back the Night march was held in San Francisco; over 5,000 women from 30 states participated.
In Virginia, Take Back the Night marches have been held in Richmond and Charlottesville, and at Hollins University, Radford University, Roanoke College and Virginia Tech.
Marchers have called attention to gender-based violence — the sexual harassment, misogyny, assaults, rapes, and murders. This violence affects both individuals in the community and the community as a whole.
People of all genders and ages are encouraged to march, either as individuals or as part of a group. Organizations are invited to bring signs or a group banner in support of Take Back the Night, which is part of Women’s Month 2018.
Each participant is asked to wear a purple ribbon tied with a knot for every friend or family member who has been sexually assaulted. Ribbons will be worn throughout Women’s Month to show support for victims and to protest sexual violence against all people. Purple ribbons will be available at information tables at Take Back the Night and each weekday at the Women’s Center at Virginia Tech, located at 206 Washington Street.
Sponsoring organizations include AdvanceVT, Coalition for Justice, Commission on Student Affairs, Cranwell International Center, Cultural and Community Centers, Division of Student Affairs, Graduate School, Graduate Student Assembly, Hokie Wellness, HokiePRIDE, Interfraternity Council, League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, Montgomery County NOW, Office of the Dean of Students, Panhellenic Council, Residence Hall Federation, Sexual Assault and Violence Education by Students (SAVES), Sexual Violence Prevention Council, Student Government Association, United Feminist Movement, VT Engage, Women’s and Gender Studies Program, Women’s Center at Virginia Tech, Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley, WUVT and YMCA at Virginia Tech.
For more information, contact Susan Anderson at 231-8041 or 951-2013, or e-mail her at anderson@math.vt.edu.
