A woman walks alone down a dark, deserted street. With every shadow she sees, and every sound she hears, her pounding heart flutters and skips a beat. She hurries her pace as she sees her destination become closer. She is almost there. She reaches the front door, goes inside, collects herself and moves on forgetting, at least for tonight, the gripping fear that momentarily enveloped her life. This scene could have occurred anywhere last night, last year or even 100 years ago. Historically, women faced the anxiety of walking alone at night and that is why Take Back the Night began.
Take Back the Night started in Europe, and then spread to Rome and Bombay with our “Reclaim the Night” slogan as part of our international tribunal on ending violence against women in the 60’s and 70’s. Next, it expanded to San Francisco, Pittsburg, Toronto and Vancouver. Around the same time we added the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand and Argentina. South Africa has a small chapter. The Take Back the Night Foundation is an international organization that supports events all over the world.
Local events are at the heart of Take Back the Night. Advocates at rallies, marches, candlelight vigils and speak outs around the globe embody the spirit of TBTN to empower and support survivors, raise awareness, help those in pain, and assert that it is wrong for people to live in fear. For more information on a local even that may be near you visit the TBTN Online Calendar. There are dozens of events all over the United States in April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
If you want to make a donation to Take Back the Night, click here. Once you have donated a minimum of $5, send a copy of your receipt confirmation to us at fandom4saa@gmail.com.