Rally aims to educate campus

Take Back the Night is far from being misguided. In fact, it is an international event, which takes place on many college classes major cities throughout the world. Women and men gather to protest the violence committed against women. The rally is often combined with a march symbolic of taking back the night by feeling able to safely walk through the night.

The intent of this march is take one night when women can feel freedom from the fear of rape. Women on this campus instinctively perform daily rituals to protect themselves.

We do this by avoiding night classes, carrying Mace, keys, pepper spray or other weapons and not walking alone at night. Many men do not even realize that women perform these rituals.

That is why Take Back the Night is about honoring the survivors of rape, incest, sexual assault and other forms of violence and bringing these issues to the attention of all. Unfortunately, violence occurs regardless of sex, race, sexual orientation or class. The legal system has traditionally been unfair to many minorities, especially women in sexual assault cases. Therefore, women have been given no choice but to create their own voice for justice.

Take Back the Night allows women a chance to take an active role in their lives. It is not a call to arms to ask others to protect us, but rather a chance to protect ourselves. The rally is also a way to educate the community about the nature of sexual violence and debunk the myths that women are to blame or that stranger-rape is more common than incest or date rape.

Feminism and its actions are often dismissed as a white middle-class women's movement, but in actuality real feminism encompasses women and men of all cultural backgrounds as is reflected in the Women's Studies Student Association and the organizers of the event.

Take Back the Night is not an end but a means to bring these issues to light and until people become conscious and sensitive enough to break the silence and stop the violence, the Women's Studies Student Association vows to put on this event every year.

On behalf of the Cal State Long Women's Studies Student Association.