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Announcement :: Protest Activity |
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**** Be A *star* At Take Back The NIGHT***** |
Current rating: 3 |
by Ruxandra Costescu
Email: tbtn (nospam) prairienet.org (verified) |
02 Apr 2003
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March and rally to protest violence against women on Friday April 4th at 7 pm, South Patio of the Illini Student Union, Urbana |
It's time to join the fight against sexual violence--come to Champaign-Urbana's Take Back the Night rally and march. The rally begins at 7:00 pm at the south patio of the Union and will include speakers from the community and campus. Afterwards there will be an hour-long march, open to women and transgender persons only. A men's activity/discussion is organized during the march by Men Against Sexual Violence. Certified childcare will be available.
* Take Back the Night!
* Friday April 4th
* 7pm
* South Patio of the U of I Union
Show your support and join us for this empowering event.
Bring signs, bring friends--let's light up the night together.
For a complete list of cosponsors and additional information, see
http://www.prairienet.org/tbtn/tbtn2003.
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See also:
http://www.prairienet.org/tbtn/tbtn2003
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Re: **** Be A *star* At Take Back The NIGHT***** |
by outside observer
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
02 Apr 2003
Modified: 06:24:44 PM |
WOW! Another year and TBTN is going strong in a rather admirable momentum towards more empowerment and more awareness of sexual violence against womyn. No one can doubt the significance and actualization of such empowerment for the siters and brothers who will participate in Friday's events. I know a handful of sisters (one of whom has been walking and doing many other things for TBTN march for years, including heaving her organization co-sponsor this event for many years as well.)
Yet, the terrible news of continues sexual assaults against female students (especially young Asian womyn on campus) poses substantial and significant challenges to TBTN activists and their co-sponsoring organizations. It is not my intention to criticize TBTN--that would be fruitless and counter productive. It is my intention though to suggest that after watching silently TBTN's annual event a few questions stand out--qyestions which I hope will encourage a grassroots vigilant debate, and one that would strike a continues chord with the police, university, and relevant organizations overseeing the gonad driven behavior of pathetic males (and females) who engage in violence against their fellow human beings (and I am not talking only about physical violence; I am also talking about the the great abuse of verbal language in the pretext of feminism, or in the pretext of superior knowledge or experience; after all, if peace and justice, are not part of ones inner soul, what is left is preaching--and have not not all seen alot of that ?)
The big and most challenging question for all of us concerned with this issue is to move forward and to translate this knowledge of gender-based violence into strong and sustained local policies (not just the enlightment and commiseration so local community leaders)--policies that would ensure full and dignified protection of our sisters from the fear and actualization of violence against them.
Once that is achieved we can claim, not only that we have taken the night back (that one night of the year) but that we have taken back every night of the year--that is right, every nioght of the year. We can claim that our communities are safe places to work, to walk about without fear, and to live. We can claim that we do not use this one night (TBTN) event to advance a discourse with its inherent elements of exclusivity and elitisms. We can claim that we stand behind all sisters every night of the year and every year of their existence. we can claim that we own the struggle of the safety of all sisters and that we are capable of being inclusive rather than exclusive. We can also claim that we own the frame of the debate over sexual violence against any human being, irrespective of their sexual orientation , or life style.
So, let's make the TBTN march, the one that would change things for ever!!!! let's make this TBTN the one that would make every night of the year a TBTN event!!!
Best wishes to you all and good luck!
Outside Observer
PS. I welcome your thoughts, your criticisms, but please keep any violent language or responses to yourselves (let's make this a visible and long standing community-wide dabate with strong policy impacts and consequesnces--not another session of name calling--we have seen way too much of that lately. Thank you) |
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Re: **** Be A *star* At Take Back The NIGHT***** |
by rosemary
braun (nospam) grex.org (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
04 Apr 2003
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Is there an alternate plan in case of bad weather, or will TBTN happen rain-or-shine? |
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Re: **** Be A *star* At Take Back The NIGHT***** |
by Jack Ryan
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: -4
06 Apr 2003
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First of all virtually no one but the rapist is pro rape. I have seen you folks and if you travel in the safety of daylight where a potential aggressor could see you first, I think you would be completely safe from harm.
Finally, if you would simply train and allow women to carry firearms, the tragic incidence of assault would end virtually overnight. It works in every city that it has been tried.
Just a tip,
Jack |
