Take Back the Night

     I woke up yesterday morning with no intentions of anything special happening. However, while sipping on my morning coffee and reading The Rocky Mountain Collegian, I realized it was a very important day. As one final push before the end of April, which is Sexual Assualt Awareness month, a rally by students was being held on campus, called Take Back the Night. With a few of my favorite local supporters beside me (Nick, Courtney, Keren, and little Elliot), we arrived to the rally around 6pm. With intentions of an open mic, survivors were encouraged to stand up and tell their stories. We listened to these heart-wrenching and tear-evoking stories for about an hour. There certainly was no shortage of people eager to share their personal experiences with sexual abuse. In fact, because of time, many did not get to speak, including myself. This fact alone speaks loudly of the prevalence of sexual abuse in our community and much more our society.
     Following the open mic, we all grabbed signs providing various messages such as, "Real Men Don't Rape", "Respect My Body", and "Consent is Sexy". We marched through campus, down Laurel Ave to College Ave, and finally into Old Town Square. We shouted along the way, "Out of the halls, and into the streets. We won't be raped. We won't be beat." and "Sexist, Racist, Anti-Gay, you can't take our night away." Traffic was blocked. Cars honked. People gawked from their comfy houses and nice restaurant dinners. It felt strange to be part of such a disturbance, but I believe this disturbance was more than necessary.

    Upon assembling in Old Town Square, we listened to the insights of Roe Bubar, JD, an ethnic studies and social work professor at CSU. She spoke largely of the dismal statistics surrounding women, men, minorities, and more specifically indigenous people, who are at highest-risk for sexual assault. Likewise, she spoke of the importance of teaching our children not to rape, which is a concept most are afraid to speak with children about. Following professor Bubar's speech, Rebecca Preston, a slam poet, performed three very powerful and stark poems moving the crowd towards laughter and empowerment.
    After the speakers were finished around 9pm, over half the crowd dispersed. The remaining marched back down College Ave, still chanting, though not as loud as before from tired, scratchy voices. We met back on campus for a candlelit vigil. We honored those who were not lucky enough to survive their experience, whether it be through resulting murder or suicide. Along with the vigil, we listened to Ram-Nation, a Native-American drum circle. They banged and chanted rhythmically in honor of those lost and in thanks for those in support. The rally was coming to a close, but still people lingered. We had built such a sense of solidarity among friends and strangers alike. It was almost difficult to pull myself away. Upon sensing this, Ram-Nation offered and performed an encore. Though I respectfully walked away, hand-in-hand with a man who would be anywhere at anytime to support and encourage me. At that moment, I felt incredibly lucky.

     Like I said, I woke up that morning with nothing special planned, but by the end of the day I had participated in my very first protest. Being socially active and responsible is something I need to find myself doing more.