"Take Back the Night" march & rally at UIS calls for an end to violence against women

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Women's Center and Residence Life Vision student organization will hold the eighth annual “Take Back the Night” march and rally. This year’s theme is An Engaged Community. The event protests rape and all forms of violence against women.

WHEN: Friday, April 24, 2015 beginning at 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: The candlelight march will start with a brief ceremony near the colonnade on the UIS main quad and progress towards the Student Life Building (SLB) Gym where a rally will be held.

DETAILS: “Take Back the Night” empowers women and all people to reclaim their right to be part of the night and the human experience of nighttime. “Take Back the Night” will include survivor stories, poetry, a healing observance, and t-shirts.

The Clothesline Project and 10 Paper Cranes to Heal the Violence will also be on display. The Clothesline Project is made up of t-shirts telling women’s stories. This is the 20th Anniversary of The Clothesline Project at UIS. The 10 Paper Cranes to Heal the Violence project was created at UIS two years ago and is being replicated elsewhere. UIS students created paper cranes streamers, which are dedicated to victims/survivors.

The supporting organizations for the event include the Asian Student Organization, African Student Association, Black Male Collegiate Society, Casera Crafts, Cygnets, Global Sisterhood, Indian Student Organization, Indian Dance Organization, Indian Student Organization-Cultural, Muslim Student Organization, International Student Association, Necessary Steps, Organization of Latin American Students, and Sisters with Vision.

For more information on “Take Back the Night”, contact the UIS Women’s Center at 217/206-7173 or womenscenter@uis.edu.