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

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by sara wist As the sun set over the Commons after a perfect March afternoon, the lOth annual Take Back the Night event began. Sponsored by the Women ' s Resource Center and the Center for Multicultural and Interna- tional Student Services, Take Back the Night Vv ' as an evening dedicated to raising awareness of sexual assault and violence against women. People shouldn ' t be afraid to talk about tough issues, said coalition member Elissa Winarski, music committee head. When things are out in the open, change and healing can start to take place. Fundraising for the event began in October 2004, and the Take Back the Night coalition met twice a week during the course of the year to plan fundraisers and the event. The event began with a variety of musical perfor- mances to lighten the mood. Performers included Chris Stup, assistant director of Student Organization Services, Slave to the Brain, the Overtones and Exit 245. The heavens have shined upon us, said Hill- ary Wing-Richards, assistant director of the Women ' s Resource Center, as she introduced the evening ' s first speaker, alumnus Brad Perry. Since graduating. Perry has trained the members of One in Four, a men ' s organization dedicated to the fight against rape and sexual assault. He spoke about strategies to help end sexual abuse, saying the most important aspect was to change the attitudes and norms of our culture. Coalition members dressed in uniform purple event shirts and passed out white ribbons for students to wear to show their support of survivors of sexual assault. Dur- ing Songs of Sexism, a group of students presented popular songs from a variety of genres with sexist, vio- lent and graphical messages. Among the songs selected were Confessions by Usher, Murder, Murder by Emi- nem and Ask Me by Amy Grant. Each song was paired with a statistic that addressed each of the different songs ' lyrics, including the fact that 75 percent of sexual assault victims required medical attention after being attacked. Representatives from other women ' s resource organizations were in attendance at the event and each were given an opportunity to speak to the crowd about the services they provided. One in Four spoke on the importance of recognizing sexual assault as not only a women ' s issue, but a community issue as well. We gathered men at the event to show support to all survivors, said graduate Grant Schafer, former president of One in Four. I feel this was a powerful message and hopefully provided some comfort to survi- vors knowing that there are guys who want to be part of the solution to end violence against women. In addition to talking at the event. Citizens Against Sexual Assault (CASA) and Campus Assault Response (CARE) set up tables and distributed information to interested students. CASA ' s services included support groups, trained counselors and intervention counseling. Elizabeth Stalcup, a well-known inspirational speaker from Reston, Va., was the evening ' s second speaker. Stal- cup ran a healing center out of her church, the Church of the Apostles in Fairfax, Va., for both victims of sexual abuse and their families. The speak-out, the most powerful and emotional event of the evening, provided an opportunity for anyone in attendance to step up to the microphone and tell their stories about sexual abuse. This open forum created an atmosphere where healing could take place. Immediately following the end of the speak-out, a candle-lit march progressed through campus. There was a very small group that went on the candlelight vigil, which made it more meaningful because It was an intimate group, said graduate Audrey Koe- hler, a coalition member. The march carried a message of support to victims who chose to remain silent and demonstrated the continuing dedication to ending sexual violence.- Presented in association with Take Back the Night, the 13th annual Clothesline Project was held March 30 and 31 in Transitions. Sponsored by First Year Involve- ment, the event displayed over 500 shirts, each decorated by either a survivor of sexual assault or relatives and friends of victims. Visitors were asked to remain silent while present at the display. Sounds of screaming echoed in the distance as a gong sounded every 15 seconds, representing the statistic that every 15 seconds a woman is battered in the United States. Each shirt had a different message; some of anger, others of forgiveness. Some expressed the pain car- ried by the victim since his or her attack, while others illust rated the isolation felt as a result of his or her victimization. Whatever the theme of the shirt, each was powerful in its own way. ' As JMU students, we live in our JMU bubble and tend not to think about these important issues. One in four women at JMU will be the victim of sexual assault or attempted assault by the time she graduates, said senior Sarah Smith, Take Back the Night coalition chairperson. My motivation to become involved with the Women ' s Resource Center and Take Back the Night was to see that number decrease from one in four to one in five and eventually one in six. This will only happen if aware- ness IS created. take back the nig ¥

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Itakebackthenightl TAKE THE [ NIGHr Students raise awareness of violence against wonnen. Walking through the Clothesline Project, student reads the mov- ing messages on shirts created by people who hove been affected by violence against women. The Clothesline Project was established in 1990 in Massachusetts. :,: staff photographer Walking through the Clothesline Project display, senior Rachel iVirPo stops to reflect on the emotional meoning behind the shirts. Each year, Take Bock the Night worked with the Clothesline Project to disploy the collection of shirts, which continued to grow each year. Photo by staff photographer I features

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