On Wednesday, April 12, 2017 at 6:30 p.m, almost 500 students, faculty and staff filled Allison Hall for Dickinson College’s annual Take Back the Night event to show solidarity with survivors of sexual assault and join the call to end assault.

The Allison Hall program included a performance of “Till it Happens to You” by the Syrens, Dickinson’s all-female identified a cappella group, a number of student survivors speaking about their experiences and keynote speaker Kyle Guante, MC, two-time National Poetry Slam champion, activist and educator based in Minneapolis, MN, according to his website. A march across campus followed the events in Allison, finishing with a vigil outside of Old West.

PEAC Director Kelly Wilt introduced the event, reminding attendees, “As you listen to our speakers this evening, you may be uncomfortable. You may be sad. You may find yourself angry, disappointed or trying to make sense of the world. I hope you will allow yourself to feel whatever it is that you feel and then channel those feelings into action.”

She was followed by Danielle Melnick ’17, who spoke about her passion for advocacy and creating platforms for those affected by sexual violence. Rachael Moore ’18 introduced five student speakers, including Cheyenne Moore ’18 and Sarah Zimmer ’17. Moore and Zimmer, among the other speakers who requested not to be named, spoke about their personal experiences of sexual violence and their ongoing healing journey.

Zimmer said of the experience, “I recall looking out the crowd, after four other incredible survivors shared their stories, and understanding that I was about to tell hundreds of people very personal things that happened to me. I didn’t feel scared, as I had been that day. In that moment, I felt a responsibility to share my story. For myself. For each survivor that spoke. For every audience member there. I was not scared anymore. I was filled with pride at my school for doing this. I was filled with empowerment for feeling okay enough to do this.”

Speakers were followed by Guante.  He began by saying that he usually turns down requests to speak at Take Back the Night because he feels that it should be about celebrating and supporting survivors. He then went on to speak about gender roles and how they affect assault. He posited that socialization about gender roles is rooted in power systems, and that he speaks to bystanders and men, the only people of whom he truly knows the experience. He performed several of his poems about sexual violence and intervention. He concluded by reminding the crowd that activism must include action rather than reliance on “magic,” which he parallels with inaction in situations of assault, saying that “disillusionment is not the absence of hope, but the absence of illusion.”

After the program, students marched and chanted together across campus, ending at Old West, where they each lit a candle to hold. CS3 Director Donna Hughes encouraged those gathered to share words of support and strength.

Carolyn Goode ’18 said, “Every year this event reaffirms my desire to end sexual violence and reaffirms that this is the work I want to do in my life. The survivors who shared their stories tonight blew me away. I want survivors to know that I stand with them and am here for them always.”

“Too often do you hear or read about heinous acts of sexual violence across global news platforms,” shared Harry Cooke ’19, public relations chair of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, which was one of the many organizations, teams and student groups that had a big showing at the event. “It is further heartbreaking that many of these acts are perpetrated by members of fraternities, whose very mission is, or should be, to foster a shared unity. The brothers of Delta Sigma Phi intended our presence at Take Back the Night to show survivors they are not alone in their struggles at Dickinson and elsewhere…A week prior, Delta Sig was personally invited to speak at the Take Back the Night teach-in to detail our plans to prevent sexual violence on campus and to promote a safer community.”

Don’t Conceal to Heal, a mental health awareness organization, hosted a gathering of support in Landis House after Take Back the Night, and advocates from the YWCA were available throughout the night for those in need. The event was sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Resource Center, the Center for Service, Spirituality and Social Justice (CS3), the Wellness Center, Community Studies Center, the departments of psychology and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies, the American Associate of University Women (AAUW), Don’t Conceal to Heal, Prevention, Education and Advocacy Center (PEAC) Peer Educators, the Syrens and the PEAC Student Council.

For more resources or support, contact the confidential Dickinson Advocacy Hotline at 717-831-8850 (24/7). You can also contact Kelly Wilt at the Prevention, Education & Advocacy Center: [email protected].