A ceremony commemorating survivors and victims of violence against women took place yesterday afternoon as part of the sixth annual Take Back the Night week. The ceremony, which took place across from the east side of Reiss Science Building, opened the TBTN Survivor’s Garden, which is intended to serve as a life affirming, positive space for women on campus all year.
A panel discussion and forum on sexual assault and discipline policy on the Hilltop also took place last night as part of TBTN. The purpose of these student-organized programs, which will continue through Friday, is to focus on violence against women and renew community safety and awareness.
“A lot of people think that [Take Back the Night] is a man-hating thing,” co-chair of the student-organized TBTN, Lauren Melodia (SFS ’03) said. According to Melodia, the intent of this series of programs on the Hilltop is to educate students about the immediacy of issues related to sexual assault. “[Georgetown students] are aware of the issues but they’re not aware that it happens on this campus,” elodia said.
Co-chair Jessica Corsi (SFS ’03) agrees that an attempt should be made to broaden campus awareness. “At a university where we are safe, we all have a tendency to abstract the problem. Even if it doesn’t happen to you or to someone you know, it is still your problem,” Corsi said.
In order to bring the reality of these topics to Hilltop students, TBTN has planned a variety of programs, including an Open ic event that will take place this evening at Uncommon Grounds. TBTN events also consist of a live concert by folk-punk band Bitch and Animal tomorrow evening. The hip-hop group Anomalies and the GU Step Team are scheduled to perform in Bulldog Alley tomorrow as well. In addition, Aishah Shahidah Simmons, filmmaker of the documentary No!, will speak about violence against women and her screen work in progress Thursday evening. Her documentary No! examines incest, intra-racial rape and sexual assault in the black community.
The four-day TBTN event will culminate with a rally, march and “speakout” Friday evening in Red Square. Planned speakers include police officers, survivors of violence and experts on fighting violence against women through legal and community action.
Although Melodia and Corsi hope to educate students through TBTN, both agree that genuine understanding of these issues must begin on an individual basis.
“It starts internally when students stop making jokes and comments,” Corsi said.
Corsi believes that people should reconsider something as simple as calling a tank top a wife beater. “[Making these comments] are not appropriate or constructive,” Corsi said.
Now, more than ever, Melodia thinks it is a good time to bring these issues to the awareness of students. She says the recent attack on a Georgetown student a few weeks ago has hopefully demonstrated that the issues are relevant and realistic and that Hilltop students can take action against the problem. “We can help by being a part of the solution,” she said.
Take Back The Night, which originated in Germany in the 1970s after a series of brutal rapes, has been an annual event in the United States since the early 1980s. Presently, numerous American universities organize on-campus awareness programs every year in order to make the night safe for women of the world.
