James Madison University - Bluestone Schoolmaam Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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In the three days surrounding the main event, the Take Back the Night coalition organized a number of events students could attend, inchiding a paper doll workshop. The entire student body was invited to hear Officer Peggy Campbell speak about women ' s safety and the self-defense class RAD, offered by the Harrisonburg Police Department. Attendants, most of them women, were sriven old magazines to cut out words that reminded them of sexual assault. For some, creating the dolls provided an outlet for their pain, fear and frustration. Many found this process to be therapeutic. Turning our thoughts into images was an effective way of dealing with and understand- ing our feelings about these kinds of abuses and also allowed us a creative outlet to express the emotions they conjure up, said junior Laura Goodwyn. The dolls were hung throughout campus, three purple dolls for each pink doll, to remind students of the harrowing statistic that one in four college women will be the victim of sexual assault. The Office of Residence Life helped provide the campus with visual confirmation of the meaning behind Take Back the Night. For two days. Transitions was transformed into a home for The Clothesline Project, another tradition of Take Back the Night. Participants aired their dirty laundry by painting t-shirts with their feelings about sexual assault or their reactions to being a friend or family member of a victim. The week culminated in the actual Take Back the Night program, which included guest Jackson Maynard, a male survivor who told his story to a filled Grafton-Stovall Theater. Several members of the coalition. One in Four and Campus Assault Re- sponsE provided the audience with statistics on sexual assault and then teamed up to take turns reading the lyrics to popular rap songs. The members read Shining light on objectifica- tion of females, senior Will Sellers reads lyrics from a popular rap song which negatively depicts and de- grades women. One in Four, a participating organization in the event, helped raise awareness of sexual violence. Photo by Mindi Westhoff Lining the walls of Transi- tions, T-shirts painted with survivors ' stories provided students with an outlet for their emotions. The Clothesline Project was on display for two days for students to view. Photo by Mindi Westhoff Take Back the Night 1271

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takeastand Student groups organize to increase awareness of violence against women, by Mindiwesthofr Conversing in hushed voices, groups of three or four students apiece littered tiie floor of Taylor 305 every Tuesday night through- out the spring semester. As freshly baked cookies made their way around the room, group leaders and members planned energeticallv, barely able to contain their excitement. Known as the co- alition, the men and women behind the 11th annual Take Back the Night event were especially eager throughout the month of March as the main event grew nearer. On March 28, after months of promo- tion and fundraising, the night finalh ' arrived. Take Back the Night, originally called Reclaim the Night, began in 1976 in Belgium as a way to spread awareness of sexual violence against women. The highlight was a candlelight vigil and march through campus, symbolizing women ' s desire to walk through the night without fear of attack. Expanded to include the experiences of men and children as well. Take Back the Night grew to become an international phenomenon as well as an annual event at the university. Each vear, the Take Back the Nia;ht Coalition passed t)ut fl ers and flooded Potty Mouth with news of the event and ways the student body could help. A concert was held in Februar)- as a fundraiser for the evening, featuring a cappella groups, studeiu bands, the Duke Dog and the Breakdance Club. 1 26 I Features mmtf

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takeistand Standing in the entrance to Grafton-Stovall Theatre. a stop sign displays star and moon shapes containing messages. People put into writing what they wished to reclaim for themselves. Photo by Mindi Westhoff Reading over notes and flyers, members of the sexual abuse prevention group One in Four discuss the event ' s proceedings with the coalition. One in Four was named for the appalling statistic that one in four college women will be the victim of sexual assault. Photo by Mindi Westhoff 1 28 I Features mmmifmmmm