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

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Women's Center and Residence Life will hold the 10th annual “Take Back the Night” march and rally. The event protests rape and all forms of violence against women. This year’s theme is “Be the Change!”

WHEN: Friday, April 28, 2017, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: The candlelight march will start with a brief ceremony near the colonnade on the UIS main quad and progress towards the Lincoln Residence Hall (LRH) Great Room where a rally will be held.

DETAILS: “Take Back the Night” empowers women and all people to reclaim their right to be safe in the nighttime and at all times. “Take Back the Night” will include poetry and a healing observance. This year’s logo includes a heart – signifying our current times point us to a need to return to core issues and to the heart of the human experiences which inspired take back the night events worldwide. Sweatshop-free t-shirts will be distributed.

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. The 10 Paper Cranes project was created by UIS Women’s Center five years ago. Students create paper cranes streamers dedicated to victims/survivors. It is now replicated elsewhere – in USA and globally.

The supporting organizations for the event include the African Student Association, Afrobeat Dance Crew, College Democrats at UIS, Epic Praise for Christ, Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority, Indian Student Organization, International Student Association, Lincoln Land Community College, Organization of Latin American Students, TARA Mediation Club, and Vietnamese Student Association.

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