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On Oct. 10, Oswego State students marched across east campus for its annual Take Back the Night, hosted by the Women’s Center.

One of the first Take Back the Night marches happened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1975. Some goals of the event are to end sexual violence, domestic violence and other types of interpersonal violence and support survivors, according to the Take Back the Night Foundation. The title refers to the feelings that women cannot safely walk alone at night due to fear of assault or violence against them.

The event began in the Marano Campus Center food court, with students and faculty alike creating signs to carry during the march. The Women’s Center president, Iyuhna Callands, opened up the evening, acknowledging the marches of the past and speaking about what the march means to her.

“Even if you’re not a victim, the point of this cause is bigger than us, and together, we are stronger than one,” Callands said. “This month is dedicated to pay homage to our survivors, and tonight, we will be the voice of the voiceless.”

After her opening remarks, Callands welcomed guest speaker and Oswego State associate professor Patricia Clark to the podium. Clark said she was glad people are continuing to bring awareness that sexual assault is still a major issue in the world. She then told historical stories, including the one of Emmett Till, to show a different side to violence, which she said may “complicate our understandings of the residual effects of violence.”

She spoke about the #MeToo movement circulating through social media but urged that people remember that, in addition to sexual assault, there can be underlying themes of racism, as seen in the Till case.

“The Till-Bryant case was not isolated. Many lynchings of black men were used to cover the abuse of poor white women by white men,” Clark said.

Clark then spoke about a more recent instance, where transgender woman LaTeisha Green was murdered in Syracuse in 2008. Her murderer was convicted of a hate crime, but the case was overturned.

“I am happy for the #MeToo platform, but I urge you to peer behind the veils of race, gender, poverty and remain vigilant in your quest to take back the night,” Clark said.

Oswego State President Deborah Stanley followed Clark’s speech, focusing on her role with Take Back the Night. Stanley said she has been participating for over 30 years on the Oswego State campus. She said she felt it was important to have Take Back the Night with the #MeToo movement growing. She then urged students and faculty to use the phrase, “Take Back the Night,” in a less literal sense.

“Everywhere belongs to women. Everywhere belongs to everyone,” she said. “I encourage you to take that analogy out, in a very wide way. I encourage you to think about power and addressing the power that keeps the night dark.”

She then said how proud she was of the event, as it was about taking action, and that it is time to demand health and safety for women.

“We’re not just standing up tonight. We’re going to stand up everywhere, every day, every night, Stanley said. “When we see injustice, and when we see a need, we are going out there.”

Following Stanley’s speech, Oswego State students filed out of the Marano Campus Center, walking toward east campus. Some students held signs, others held glow sticks, and some even held each other’s hands, chanting phrases such as, “Claim our bodies, claim our right, take a stand, take back the night” in unison.

Some students came to Take Back the Night as part of their organizations. The Asian Student Association (ASA) had members attending together, such as ASA secretary Kridzely Vargas and president Jewel Yeh.

“As a victim of sexual assault, I think it’s very important to help other people see that you can walk home at night and feel safe,” Vargas said. “You need to take back the night, exactly.”

Other students, including Yeh, said they had similar feelings about the importance of the event on campus.

“For me, I had experience with a stalker, so I know what it’s like to be scared of walking at night. Being here and supporting these people, I think it’s a really good thing that the Women’s Center is hosting this,” Yeh said. “It allows people to feel safe and to make them feel as if they have a community here on campus.”

The march ended back in Marano Campus Center, where Women’s Center hosted a short discussion for attendees to be able to share their experiences and feelings after the event. The students who shared said that they felt more empowered and unified during and after the march and noted its importance on campus.

“This campus is a public campus, so anybody can walk in. You should feel safe for them to walk inside your community,” Vargas said. “This is your community, so you should be able to walk safely here, and it’s important that this event is promoting that.”

Photos by Kassadee Paulo | The Oswegonian