NEWS

‘Take Back The Night’ marchers hit the streets to protest sexual violence

Building on 41 years of activism, “Take Back the Night” participants take to the streets as they march through downtown Ann Arbor. Lily Merritt | Washtenaw Voice

By Catherine Engstrom-Hadley
Staff Writer

The Ann Arbor chapter of Take Back The Night, a movement to combat sexual violence and violence against women, rallied and marched into its 41st year of activism.

Dozens of volunteers and community nonprofits organized to create an evening of education, awareness and safety.

“It takes a long time to plan this, we start in September and work towards it all year,” said Kaitlyn Colyer, one of the volunteers for TBTN and a freshmen at University of Michigan. TBTN started in Ann Arbor in 1978 as a rally to speak out against all forms of sexual violence for all people.

Nicole Denson, the current vice president of the Women’s March Michigan and owner of MOSAIC Collective MC’d the evening.

“We have to acknowledge sexual violence in our communities, and we need to do it now,” said Denson.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sent a video message for the activists on campus: “We have a lot to work to do, so lets keep our foot on the gas, and fight for the change we so desperately need.”

This year’s keynote speaker, Kevin Kantor, a spoken word poet and survivor, talked about using their poetry to “metabolize my trauma.” They performed their poem “People You May Know” about seeing their attacker on social media. Kantor discussed their struggle to be the “perfect survivor” and the pressure society and social media puts on sexual violence survivors.

“The only responsibilities survivors have is to themselves,” said Kantor. “You deserve your joy, you deserve your rage, now get to work.”

The men in the room were were given the opportunity to sign a pledge of their commitment to help fight sexual violence and speak up to others against sexual violence. A video of the poem “Masks Off” by Jeremy Loveday was shown before the signing.

“This culture of violence touches us all,” said Loveday in the poem. “By dismissing perpetrators as monsters, it allows us not to analyze our own actions.”

The crowd got charged up and marched into the streets with live music, a burlesque performer and a reading of demands, to wrap it all up. Take Back The Night is organized by the Standing Tough Against Rape Society and University of Michigan students.