Take Back the Night
Encyclopedia
Take Back the Night is an internationally held march and rally
intended as a protest and direct action
against rape
and other forms of sexual violence
. It was originated by the feminist movement.
at an anti-violence rally in Pittsburgh
.
The first "Reclaim the Night" march was held in Belgium in March 1976 by the women attending the International Tribunal on Crimes against Women
. They marched together holding candles to protest the ways in which violence permeates the lives of women worldwide. Other marches were held in Rome in 1976 as a reaction to recently released rape statistics, in West Germany
in 1977 demanding "the right to move freely in their communities at day and night without harassment and sexual assault," and in 11 towns in England
later in 1977 in response to the "Ripper Murders"
in Leeds
.
The first known "Take Back the Night" march in the United States
was organized in San Francisco, California
on November 4, 1978, by Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media
and marched through the red-light district
of San Francisco in protest of rape
and pornography
, which they identified with the sexualized subordination of women. Susan Brownmiller
, a radical feminist journalist who participated in the San Francisco march, recalls,
In 2006 a special Reclaim the Night was organised in Ipswich
as a response to the murders of five prostitutes there, with between 200 and 300 attendees.
Wesleyan University in Connecticut notably allows men to participate in speaking on their own experiences with sexual assault. The event holds three speak-out circles during the course of the march, and although men are asked not to participate in speaking about their own experiences in the first circle, they are able to join in the subsequent ones.
While the march began as a way to protest the violence
that women experienced while walking in public at night, the purpose of these marches was to speak out against this violence and raise community awareness as a preventive measure against future violence. The movement has since grown to encompass all forms of violence against all persons, though violence against women is still the movement's main focus. The word night was originally meant to be taken literally to express the fear that many women feel during the night but has since changed to symbolize a fear of violence in general. This helps the movement incorporate other feminist concerns such as domestic violence
and sexual abuse
within the home. The march has grown from a widely publicized event taking place in major cities to an event happening internationally from large metropolitan areas to small college campuses, all advocating for the right of everyone to feel safe from violence.
The march has since spread to many locales, and has also inspired an international online "Take Back the Blog" event regarding sexual violence and predation in both the physical night and the world of cyberspace and blogging.
On 7 November 2009 the first Take the Back the Night annual conference took place at Columbia University.
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
intended as a protest and direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
against rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and other forms of sexual violence
Sexual violence
Sexual violence occurs throughout the world, although in most countries there has been little research conducted on the problem. Due to the private nature of sexual violence, estimating the extent of the problem is difficult...
. It was originated by the feminist movement.
History
The term "Take Back the Night" came from the title of a 1977 memorial read by Anne PrideAnne Pride
Anne Pride was a National Organization for Women activist and publisher....
at an anti-violence rally in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
The first "Reclaim the Night" march was held in Belgium in March 1976 by the women attending the International Tribunal on Crimes against Women
International Tribunal on Crimes against Women
The International Tribunal on Crimes against Women was a people's tribunal which took place on March 4-8, 1976 in Brussels. The event was created with the intention to "make public the full range of crimes , both violently brutal and subtly discriminatory , committed against women of all...
. They marched together holding candles to protest the ways in which violence permeates the lives of women worldwide. Other marches were held in Rome in 1976 as a reaction to recently released rape statistics, in West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
in 1977 demanding "the right to move freely in their communities at day and night without harassment and sexual assault," and in 11 towns in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
later in 1977 in response to the "Ripper Murders"
Peter Sutcliffe
Peter William Sutcliffe is a British serial killer who was dubbed "The Yorkshire Ripper". In 1981 Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women and attacking seven others. He is currently serving 20 sentences of life imprisonment in Broadmoor Hospital...
in Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
.
The first known "Take Back the Night" march in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was organized in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on November 4, 1978, by Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media
Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media
Women Against Violence in Pornography and Media was a radical feminist anti-pornography activist group based in San Francisco and an influential force in the larger feminist anti-pornography movement of the late 1970s and 1980s....
and marched through the red-light district
Red-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
of San Francisco in protest of rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
and pornography
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
, which they identified with the sexualized subordination of women. Susan Brownmiller
Susan Brownmiller
Susan Brownmiller is an American feminist, journalist, author, and activist. She is best known for her pioneering work on the politics of rape in her 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape, Brownmiller argues that rape had been hitherto defined by men rather than women; and that men use,...
, a radical feminist journalist who participated in the San Francisco march, recalls,
In 2006 a special Reclaim the Night was organised in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
as a response to the murders of five prostitutes there, with between 200 and 300 attendees.
Events
Events typically consist of a rally followed by a march and often a speak-out or candlelight vigil on violence against women. The marches are often deliberately women-only in order to symbolize women's individual walk through darkness and to demonstrate that women united can resist fear and violence. (Other marches include men; the organization differs as each event is organized locally.) The women-only policies have caused controversy on some campuses; activists argued that male allies and sexual assault survivors should be allowed to march in support of women. Some activists believe strongly that all Take Back the Night Events should be open and inclusive of all genders and not segregated.Wesleyan University in Connecticut notably allows men to participate in speaking on their own experiences with sexual assault. The event holds three speak-out circles during the course of the march, and although men are asked not to participate in speaking about their own experiences in the first circle, they are able to join in the subsequent ones.
While the march began as a way to protest the violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
that women experienced while walking in public at night, the purpose of these marches was to speak out against this violence and raise community awareness as a preventive measure against future violence. The movement has since grown to encompass all forms of violence against all persons, though violence against women is still the movement's main focus. The word night was originally meant to be taken literally to express the fear that many women feel during the night but has since changed to symbolize a fear of violence in general. This helps the movement incorporate other feminist concerns such as domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
and sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
within the home. The march has grown from a widely publicized event taking place in major cities to an event happening internationally from large metropolitan areas to small college campuses, all advocating for the right of everyone to feel safe from violence.
The march has since spread to many locales, and has also inspired an international online "Take Back the Blog" event regarding sexual violence and predation in both the physical night and the world of cyberspace and blogging.
On 7 November 2009 the first Take the Back the Night annual conference took place at Columbia University.
External links
- "Official Online Headquarters" for Take Back the Night- Resources to assist with running TBTN events, calendar of some TBTN events.
- WMST-L: Take Back the Night, 1 of 2 (1995) and 2 of 2 (1997, 2001).
- Take Back the Night in NYC - Barnard/Columbia
- Take Back the Night - Ipswich, United Kingdom - (report on response to the 2006 Ipswich murder investigation)
- Take Back the Night - Will County, Illinois
- Take Back the Night at James Madison University
- Take Back the Night 2006 at UC Santa Cruz
- Take Back The Night March
- Ireland speaks at Take Back the Night rally (discusses men getting involved in a rally at the University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
) - The Rape Relief Files: Take Back The Night - Vancouver Herstory
- Reclaim the Night - London, UK