Students participated in Take Back the Night, an event to raise awareness about all forms of sexual and gender-based violence, on April 24.

Organized by Tracey Thomasey, program director for healthy relationships and violence prevention, Take Back the Night included information tables, a keynote speaker, and a march through campus.

The guest speaker was Kristen Kemp, deputy district attorney for Delaware County. “We cannot change the past, but we will try to give you back your voice,” she told the students.

Her presentation was followed by a march from the Mirenda Center to Our Lady of Angels Convent, around Bachmann Main Building, through St. John Neumann Circle, and back to the athletic complex.

Three community partners staffed information tables before the keynote: the Aston Police Department, Delaware County Victim Assistance Center, and the Domestic Abuse Project. Students were present, too, to share details about campus programs to prevent sexual violence.

Students also hosted a Clothesline Project on the Mirenda Center lawn during the event. The Clothesline Project started in 1990 as a vehicle for women affected by violence to express their emotions by decorating a shirt. The shirts are then displayed on a clothesline to be viewed by others as testimony to the problem of violence against women.

“The Clothesline was strung with tee shirts from years past,” explained Thomasey, “and there were opportunities for students to make new shirts, too.”

Thomasey’s office also coordinated other events during April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The Delaware County Victim Assistance Center was on campus three times for a workshop series on healthy relationships, setting boundaries, and consent.

Some students wore tee shirts with messages about gender-based violence.

In addition, Student Affairs worked with NU Pride on a “no silence” day and hosted a coloring table for sexual assault awareness messages in Bachmann lobby.

Take Back the Night is a nonprofit organization, the aim of which is to end sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and all other forms of sexual abuse.

Hundreds of colleges hold a Take Back the Night event in April.