Community Corner
Take Back the Night Breaks the Silence of Sexual Violence
The annual anti-violence event is set to be held in Tampa's Hyde Park Village this Saturday.
The Sexual Violence Task Force of Tampa Bay, in collaboration with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, is helping women speak out to “Take Back the Night.”
This emotional interactive event is set for 5 p.m. Saturday in Hyde Park Village. It aims to bring together sexual abuse survivors and supporters who want to shatter the silence of sexual violence.
“Our Take Back the Night is one of the largest in the United States — we anticipate about 800 people,” said Constance Rose, founder of Victims2Survivors, Outreach Co-Chair, Sexual Violence Task Force and Lauren’s Kids Featured Walker.
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The Take Back the Night movement in the United States began in the 1970s.
“Take Back the Night is about telling our stories,” Rose said. "We’ve all been touched by sexual violence-sexual abuse, just in different ways. The event is for everyone. Everyone needs to be educated about sexual abuse.”
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The event includes music, a community resource fair, a men’s pledge and a silent empowerment march. The CASA Clothesline Project will also display hundreds of T- shirts created by violence survivors. The event concludes at 8 p.m. with a candlelight vigil and a survivor speak-out.
“At our survivor speak-out, we use our voices and we tell our stories – our journey about healing," Rose said."Survivors can hear that they don’t have to live in silence anymore, that they aren’t the only one that it’s happened to. Whether you are a female or a male, child or grown-up, victim of violent assault or incest – it doesn’t matter. It’s all rape.”
Local attorney Gary Weisman has pledged a $5 donation to the Crisis Center for every man who takes the Men’s Pledge, Rose said. Newly elected Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan and Tampa Bay Buccaneer Ian Beckles are among some of the men taking this year’s pledge.
On the Crisis Center blog, Gary explained his donation pledge: "There are no headlines about good men doing the right thing. The terrible men who commit violence towards women make headlines. It’s time for the silent overwhelming majority of men who respect and honor women to stand up and say that violence will not be tolerated.”
To learn more, visit Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=153814344631977