Students, faculty and staff gathered in front of Whitley Auditorium Thursday evening, Sept. 29 for Elon’s annual Take Back the Night March against sexual assault and violence. Details...
The event, sponsored by Students Against Sexual Assault (SASA), began with a rally in front of Whitley that included a performance by Sweet Signatures, Elon’s all-female a cappella group, as well as speeches by Elon Chief of Police LaVelle Lovette, Chaplain Richard McBride and Coordinator for Personal Health Programs and Community Well-Being Leigh-Anne Royster. In her speech, Royster challenged Elon students to respond to sexual violence as a community and address it with the same urgency as they would an epidemic.
“If we allow any kind of oppression to exist, it fosters every other kind,” said Royster, who also advises SASA. “My challenge is for you to become one more of this Elon community that cares about these issues and carries it with you into your lives.
Also at the rally, a number of groups from the Elon community set up information tables, including the Resident Student Association, Crossroads, the Elon Town Police, Campus Security, Periclean Scholars, Women and Gender Studies, the Office of Residence Life, the Student Safety Committee, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and the Office of Student Development. The Student Government Association also presented Crossroads Sexual Response and Resource Center, an Alamance County nonprofit, with a check for $250.
The rally concluded with a march through campus with students carrying banners from a number of different student organizations. The march was followed by an open mic session and candlelight vigil in front of Moseley Center where survivors and their families and friends shared their experiences.
The first Take Back the Night event was held in Germany in 1973 as a response to a series of sexual assaults, rapes and murders. Five years later the first Take Back the Night March in the United States was held in San Francisco; more than 5,000 women from 30 states participated. Royster said she was impressed by the attendance at this year’s event, which was first held at Elon in 1990.
“I hope that people gain awareness and education from this event,” said Royster. “I hope this is a catalyst for a community response to sexual assault and a call to action.”