Take Back the Night draws roughly 100

Politics and African American studies professor Melissa Harris-Perry delivered the keynote address at the annual Take Back the Night event held on Friday on Frist Campus Center’s South Lawn. Despite the cold weather, roughly 100 people turned out for the open-air event, which featured several survivors of sexual assault who shared their stories alongside Harris-Perry’s talk.

The event, which was co-organized by Sexual Harassment/Assault Advising, Resources, and Education peers and the USG, also featured free refreshments and student performances by the Wildcats a cappella group and the eXpressions dance group.

In her talk, Harris-Perry focused on the ways in which society shapes and enables rapists.

“This is a culture that ... assumes and teaches that it is okay to overpower bodies that are less powerful,” she said. “We’re teaching people how to be rapists every time we shield and protect people who victimize because we don’t want to ruin their lives and careers.”

Harris-Perry also shared her own story as a survivor, explaining that her neighbor had sexually assaulted her when she was in high school. She had tried to live her life without recalling the event, Harris-Perry explained, but realized once she had children of her own that she had to acknowledge what had happened to her and fight back against the prevalence of sexual assault.

“Dr. Harris-Perry does phenomenal work on the intersection of race, class and gender,” Dana Weinstein ’12, co-president of SHARE, said. “As a survivor herself, she brings a very interesting perspective, a unique voice and an inspirational message about what we as a community can bring to the world to stop sexual violence.”

Three student speakers also shared their stories of surviving sexual assault with the crowd. Though Harris-Perry’s talk was considered public, the rest of the event was open only to members of the campus community and SHARE asked that the privacy of the student speakers and audience members be maintained.

“We have different student speakers every year,” Weinstein explained. “Sometimes we have people who approached us through the chair office, sometimes individuals invite people who they know.”

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According to last year’s Security and Fire Safety Report, 14 forcible sex offenses were reported on the University’s campus in 2007, 18 in 2008 and 9 in 2009.

“I think sexual assault is an issue that affects Princeton students more than we talk about it,” said Alexis Morin ’12, who attended the event. “Discussing the experiences that survivors had is a way to build a community that supports survivors and values women.”

One sophomore, who attended the event but asked to remain anonymous, expressed similar sentiments, noting that the presence of sexual abuse on campus may seem surprising considering how little people hear about it.

“I am always surprised when I hear that somebody on this campus has been raped, probably because this campus always seems so idyllic and remote,” the sophomore said. “Also because, demographically, people who have suffered aren’t necessarily people who come from troubled backgrounds. They are just students who met devastatingly horrific people.”

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Take Back the Night was first held in Brussels in 1976 and is now held all over the world. The first Take Back the Night event at the University was held 24 years ago.