Several groups at and affiliated with Illinois State University banded Thursday evening for a Take Back the Night vigil in support of survivors of sexual abuse. Participants also marched together after dark in Normal, before gathering to share stories of their experiences.
The event was organized by the student group Students Ending Rape Culture [SERC], in collaboration with the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness, advocacy groups Stepping Stones and Mid-Central Community Action, campus PRIDE, and the Queer Coalition of faculty, staff, and graduate students.
Health Promotion and Wellness director Nikki Bauer told WGLT that Students Ending Rape Culture is sponsored by her office.
“We work closely with them to help them fulfill their mission,” Bauer said. “This year, we have a lot of organizations from ISU … we wanted a bigger presence just because walking at night, walking anywhere safely affects all of us.”
SERC co-president Gabbie Taylor said the annual event has an impact on the wider campus community, especially having so many groups come together.
“You see a lot of organizations come together to support survivors from every background, no matter who they are or where they’re from, coming together just to take back the night for one night,” Taylor told WGLT. “I just say it’s very empowering.”
Bauer concurred. “The piece of it that I really love to see is the coming together as a community in a very organized way around an event that has literally been celebrated on this campus for 30 years,” she said.
The other SERC co-president, Lauren Bounds, spoke before the march, describing the long history of Take Back the Night around the world.
“When we march, we continue a tradition that has been carried on for 60 years,” Bounds told the crowd. Then, to survivors, she added, “We see you, we hear you, we love you, and we believe you.”
Numerous individuals, including representatives from local advocacy groups, spoke of how many women feel unsafe walking at night or wearing certain clothing for fear of sexual violence. Many spoke about the power of the march to raise awareness of an issue that potentially impacts one in six women and one in 32 men.
During the march, participants raised signs opposing sexual violence and harassment, as well as in favor of reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ causes. Chants included “The time is now, the day is here, we will not live in fear” and “However we dress, wherever we go, yes means yes and no means no.”
Passersby in Uptown Normal came out of shops and slowed their cars to watch the march. Some seemed to heckle the marchers briefly, but most comments were supportive.
After the march, which looped from ISU’s quad through Uptown and back again, participants came together for a vigil in honor of abuse survivors.
State Rep. Sharon Chung, D-Bloomington, gave a brief speech before the vigil, explaining why it was important to her to attend.
“I brought my daughters for a very important reason,” Chung said. “I want them to feel empowered and feel like they have agency over themselves in college … Hopefully us being here tonight is one small step toward that goal.”
Eeven though the event wasn’t for partisan purposes,she added, “We have to be political, don’t we, because that’s where we are.”
She told the marchers they should be sure to “vote for people who represent your values,” and reaffirmed her own commitment to reproductive rights.
Then, organizers had everyone to sit down on the quad, passed out small electric candles, and invited anyone who felt comfortable to share their own stories and experiences.
