News Article

Gonzaga University students, faculty and staff will combat sexual violence and confront rape in the local community in the annual Take Back the Night rally and march starting at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 15, in the Wolff Auditorium of the Jepson Center.

The rally and march are among several events planned this week to address rape and sexual assault; other initiatives include the Red X Campaign and Clothesline Project.

Take Back the Night takes a slightly different direction each year, but each rally includes speeches or presentations, a speak-out for survivors of rape and sexual assault and their friends and allies, and a candlelight march through campus.

Event coordinators are Gonzaga students Emily Christensen and Amber Gladney, who chose to focus this year on the community, rather than looking at rape and sexual assault in the abstract. Speakers are to include GU sociology Professor Jane Rinehart, political science Assistant Professor Michael Jones and keynote speaker Patsy Fowler, associate professor of English at Gonzaga. Also, GU sophomore Lauren Wood will perform.

The Clothesline Project, comprised of T-shirts with affirming statements and stories of sexual assault survivors and their allies, will be on display in the Crosby Student Center this week and in the Jepson Center on Thursday evening. On Wednesday, Nov. 14, students will participate in the Red X Campaign, which offers a visual representation of the percentage of women who have been or will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

Since 1976, Take Back the Night has been a way for people to confront rape, sexual assault and violence against women and children. International TBTN rallies are unified through their assertion that all human beings have the right to be free from violence, the right to be heard and to reclaim their rights if they are violated.

For more information, contact Christensen at (208) 691-8555 or via e-mail. To learn more about TBTN, visit the organization’s nationwide Web site.