Gabriella Tutino/The Mirror
Wednesday, April 6th marks the annual Take Back the Night walk, organized by Project Peg and supported by the Peace & Justice Dept. and the Diversity Office. Take Back the Night is a candlelit vigil that celebrates the survivors and promotes the awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault. Similar to last year, the walk is done all around campus and includes occasional stops along the path where students perform pieces related to the subject matter.
Take Back the Night (TBTN) is part of a series of events that is happening during Represent Yourself Week and as a precursor to Women’s Day on Friday.
“It is always important to remember that sexual assault does not define a person, but it becomes part of their history, and does in a way, part of who they become,” said Alicia Bissonnette ’12, who has spearheaded the event with her Project Peg members. “So in that sense, Take Back the Night is representing yourself and telling your story.”
Take Back the Night originally started in Philadelphia in 1975. The idea behind the march is to empower women to combat the fear they feel when walking alone in the dark, a direct result of the crime and violence that occurs towards women, especially at night.
The walk was brought to Fairfield by Project Peg, a feminist group on campus that educates the community about gender issues through static and performance art. It has become customized to fit Fairfield, with pieces being generated by students who are a part of Peg or friends of Peg.
“The actors all have connections to Peg in some way, whether they be core members, people who have acted in Peg performances before or from groups Peg has collaborated with,” said Bissonnette.
The process of practicing for the monologues was just as equally important as the preparation of the event. According to Bissonnette, the walk needs to be as real as possible for the performers as well.
“Take Back the Night is really important for Fairfield because there isn’t enough awareness in this area,” she said. “Keeping the stories student-written from Fairfield, whether fictional reflection, real reflection or first-hand account, is important to keep it the voice of Fairfield.”
This year’s TBTN starts at the BCC Info Desk and ends at McGrath Commons, where there will be food and a talkback facilitated by Prof. Kris Sealy of the Philosophy Dept. The walk will be making a stop at the “Rape Trail” so as to “focus on darker parts of campus as is traditionally done in nationwide Take Backs,” according to Bissonnette. Participants will hold and light candles, which are symbols of fighting against the darkness.
Bissonnette hopes that students will come away from the experience with more awareness.
“[Domestic violence and sexual abuse] is a very personal intimate subject that is very hard to dissect for an individual,” she said. “The real change starts at home.”
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