Ethan Knox

By Ethan Knox (Photo credit: Rose Coschignano/Pipe Dream Photographer)

After the rain began to fall and a crowd of college students marched through the torrent on the streets of downtown Binghamton, the seventh annual Take Back the Night event began with a sensitive enthusiasm. Although drenched, demonstrators joined together to form a safe, public space aimed at reminding all in attendance the availability of local resources, the importance of activism, and the strength of marginalized communities.

Hosted by the Women’s Student Union on April 12, the rally was the culmination of a week-long set of activities empowering women and acting out against domestic, sexual, and other interpersonal forms of violence.

Through the storm, the mood was high, as shouts of “hey-hey, ho-ho, sexual violence has got to go!” pierced the noises of State Street. The energy was matched almost a mile later at Atomic Tom’s, where the group assembled to hear the Women’s Student Union executive board and civic organizations speak on the issues facing our community today.

The speeches began with a detailed look at the importance of Take Back the Night, and its impact over the years for both the Women’s Student Union and the campus as a whole.

Sharon Elkouby, a senior advisor for Women’s Student Union and a senior majoring in sociology, said that the point the club is trying to make with the event is to fight for rights historically underrepresented, and to foster a dialogue which can teach college students interpersonal assault advocacy.

“Take Back the Night is coming together,” Elkouby said. “It’s about raising our voice; it’s about lining the Spine and standing in front of our peers and saying that you need to hold your friends accountable, and you need to look more critically at the bigger picture.”

The president of the Women’s Student Union, Erica Prush, focused on the lack of action on issues of assault, and urged campus members to be vigilant in their condemnation of rape culture.

“We have dealt with an absent, opaque, and careless administration,” the senior English major said. “It’s not in Binghamton University’s best interest to acknowledge exactly what we are trying to say, which is that rape, harassment, assault, stalking, coercion and violence happens here, as it happens everywhere. It happens in dorms, it happens in apartments, it happens in bars— and it happens to people we know.”

Speakers from the local community commented on these alarming statistics and the frequency of interpersonal assault. They also capitalized on the strength of the female victims, who make up the greatest demographic of sexual and domestic assault victims.

Rebecca Staudt, manager of Advocacy Services at Rise NY, said “The women look like me. They look like you. They look like your mom, your best friend, your daughter, your aunt, anybody that you love. Whether you know it or not, you know somebody who’s been impacted by violence,” Staudt said. “We’re going to continue to talk about violence against women. We’re going to continue to acknowledge that violence against women is not just a women’s issue. It’s a human issue.”

A representative from another organization that attended the event, the Crime Victims Assistance Center, discussed the future and the goal to not only address the problems of today, but prevent them.

“A lot of these conversations we talk about at this [college] level about consent, about privacy, about basic things— we need those conversations to start young,” Jennifer Spencer, the Crime Victims Assistance Center Education and Outreach Supervisor, said. “If we’re not teaching those kids how to show respect at that age, we know what that might lead on to in the future. I really want to encourage everyone to use your voice to help inspire that next generation.”

Among cheers and applause as the drizzle continued outside, the speakers each concluded on a note of thanks. Their visions of a world strengthened by knowledge and the support of a community were juxtaposed with a warning to campus officials and beyond.

“By participating in Take Back the Night, you are saying ‘no’ to silence, ‘yes’ to giving voice to the voiceless,” Prush said. “You’re saying to all the people who would keep us down if they could— we are watching you, and you answer to us.”