The Alliance for Sexual Assault Prevention raised awareness about sexual assault through their 8th annual Take Back the Night event. The event consisted on a Kick Off event that featured performances from a cappella groups, statistics about sexual assault and a candle light vigil on Friday evening. I
n addition, the organization hosted a Speak Out on Monday evening to listen to stories from survivors of sexual assault.
"It's hard to listen to, but its so necessary," one of the attendees at the Speak Out, who wished to remain anonymous, said. "As a survivor, it was the biggest comfort to know people don't feel that they don't have to stay silent anymore."
At the Speak Out, audience members cried while Emory community members read survivors' anonymous accounts in which acquaintances, boyfriends, neighbors or family members perpetrated sexual assaults.
Other students cried as they shared their personal experiences of sexual assault. Sexual Assault Peer Advocates (SAPA) were present and available to comfort survivors with especially intense emotional responses to the memory-triggering details of the stories. As survivors expressed feelings of guilt, they said it was extremely difficult to talk to others about their experiences.
While some described the daily triggers that remind them of their experiences, many of the accounts cited sexual assault as the single worst event in the survivors' lives.Other stories commented on the prevalence of sexual assault and called for this to change.One survivor demanded to know why only people who have experienced sexual assault seem to be responsible for changing a culture in which survivors are blamed for sexual violence.
"Why isn't it everyone else's responsibility as well?" the survivor asked.
Many survivors said they hoped that sharing their stories would provide support for others who are dealing with their own experiences of sexual assault.
"All survivors deserve what everyone else deserves: love, respect and the possibility of having great consensual sex," one account said.
In another account, a survivor said they were better able to care for others and were able to take action to stop sexual violence after their personal experience of sexual assault.
College senior Caleb Peng, who made a video earlier this year raising awareness of sexual assault, ended the event by calling for more involvement in stopping the crime.
He said he hoped that a world will one day exist where groups like ASAP, SAPA and the Respect program are no longer necessary because sexual assault will not be a problem.
SAPA is an organization on campus that teaches students what to say and what not say to survivors of sexual assault.
"You're not a victim, you're a survivor," Peng said. "Everyone deserves to live in a better world."
College freshman Elyssa Hausman said that knowing all the stories read at the event happened to students at Emory was especially heart wrenching.
"I can't even imagine what it's like for my peers to have to live with that," she said. "I hope to get involved with ASAP and SAPA and make a difference not only at Emory but in the world."
While the Friday Kick Off did not include any accounts from survivors, the event also raised awareness about the prevalence of sexual assault.
ChaiTunes, No Strings Attached and Aural Pleasure all read statistics about sexual assault before they performed each song.
One of the statistics said that "every two minutes someone is sexually assaulted" while another one said "97% of rapists will never spend a day in jail."
After the a cappella performances, members of ASAP asked attendees at the event to repeat the statistics that the a cappella groups had just read.
Those who answered correctly received ASAP T-shirts and shot glasses. The final part of the event was a candlelight vigil. ASAP members handed out red candles, each of which represented a survivor of sexual assault as well as white candles, each of which represented a person who had never been sexually assaulted.
ASAP gave out one red candle for every three white candles to represent that one in four college aged women is a survivor of sexual assault. After lighting all of the candles, attendees at the event gathered together and read actions that can help prevent sexual assault, such as "interrupt rape jokes."
College senior and President of ASAP Elizabeth Scott said the vigil was her favorite part because it really recognizes the prevalence of sexual assault and helps make it real.
At the end of the events, attendees had a chance to write for whom they were taking back the night on a sign and take a picture with it. The pictures will be displayed in the future.
College sophomore Lindsay Falkenberg said she felt the event was important because it indicates a change in culture where survivors of sexual assault can see they have support.
College sophomore Naomi Maisel said she appreciated the reading of the quotes because they helped make the performances serious and respectful. She also said that she felt hearing about sexual assault from her peers, as opposed to adults, was especially powerful. Maisel – a member of SAPA – said she hoped the event would encourage more students to become involved with addressing the problem of sexual assault.
– By Lizzie Howell
