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‘We never told’
Community members partnered with PAVSA to ‘Take Back the Night’ last Thursday in a nation-wide effort to fight for safety
BY DAYNA D. LANDGREBE
STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
ISSUE: 78/29
LARAMIE CARLSON / STATESMAN
A rainy night in Duluth didn’t stop dozens of demonstrators from participating in a walk to oppose sexual violence and oppression on April 24.
“My best friend and I have both been victims. We never told.” This, among many other personal statements, was taped to the walls of the Washington Center last Thursday. Here women, men and children gathered in a crowded gym on a rainy night to raise their voices against oppression and domestic violence against women.
These people were taking back the night. “Some of these stories just break your heart and you can’t believe that these things happen,” said UMD senior and Planned Parenthood intern Lyrik Wilberts of the posters. The stories of victims thoughts and experiences of sexual assault were collected by local students from Duluth high schools.
“I feel like some the people who share their stories through this have never said anything before,” Wilberts said. “This is one way to share.” Take Back the Night (TBTN), a nation-wide effort, is a response to the violence and oppression that women and children in society today face, according to the Program for Aid of Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA) Web site. “Rape and sexual assault is an epidemic in our country. The fact that one in four college women will be assaulted means that chances are, one of my friends have been assaulted,” said UMD graduate and PAVSA intern Emily Mueller. “This is a real problem. It’s one of the most violent crimes in our society and unfortunately, one of the most underreported.”
LARAMIE CARLSON / STATESMAN
Mueller said that 15 out of 16 rapists walk away free. TBTN included a march and a rally for sexual assault survivors along with supporters. The event also incorporated resource tables from community organizations, free food, local performers and a moment of silence along the march. Mueller said that TBTN wasn’t just for women, but that they did want to keep in mind that most of the time, women are the victims. The march was split into three sections, with the first part being reserved for survivors only, followed by a mixed group of women and children, and then other supporters. “It happens to women of all ages, races and ethnicities. The color of your skin does not matter,” said Birch, who did not want to disclose her real name for confidentiality reasons. “So many people think that it doesn’t happen to them. They’re tougher. They’re stronger. It’s not okay.”
Birch, a sexual assault victim advocate for PAVSA, said that she had been a victim of sexual assault and that it doesn’t matter who you are or what type of relationship you’re in. She also commented that drinking is a major factor in unreported sexual assault. “I know a lot of young women come home to the dorms and are greeted with the cops writing out drinking tickets for underage drinking. It overrides the fact that you’ve been assaulted,” she said. For the past eight years, Duluth has led a TBTN event through PAVSA. TBTN will continue to rally for safety as long as the fight to free people from violence continues, according to the PAVSA Web site.
“It can happen to anyone,” Birch said.
