Introduction

The Take Back the Night (TBTN) Committee is part of an international movement that works to raise awareness about issues surrounding sexual assault, while also protesting the climate of fear and violence that women must confront in today’s society. Here at UCSB the TBTN committee worked year round to aid women in finding and demonstrating their empowerment. It provided a forum for women to make their voices heard, and created a safe environment in which survivors of sexual assault can tell their stories and begin to heal.

Queer Commission/Take Back the Night March

During Winter Quarter TBTN partnered with Queer Commission and held a joint march to advocate for the rights of victims of sexual violence and for LGBTQIA  students. Participants marched from Cheadle Hall to Pardall Tunnel and then along Del Playa Drive.

The protest was headed by Queer Commission chair RJ Thomsen and was for the most part well received, though there were also boos and negative responses. The negative responses are what make actions like this necessary. Take Back the Night Co-chair Danielle Burmudez also emphasized that collaborating on the march amplified both groups’ messages.

Annual Take Back the Night March and Rally

Every April as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Take Back the Night organizes a march and rally, including entertainment and a sharing of stories, to draw attention to the reality of sexual violence in the campus and IV communities. Here’s the invitation to this year’s events.

Bike Path Billboards

As part of Winter Quarter’s Human Rights Week, TBTN placed billboards along the bike paths to draw attention to various misconceptions regarding rape.

 Sandra Fluke Speaks

In partnership with the UCSB Departments of Sociology and Feminist Studies, Womyn’s Commission, External Vice President Local Affairs,  and Community Affairs Board, Take Back the Night co-sponsored a talk by women’s rights activist Sandra Fluke. The The daughter of a conservative Christian pastor, Sandra Fluke, 31, became a women’s-rights activist in college and continued her advocacy as a law student at Georgetown. In February 2012, after being denied a chance to testify at a Republican-run House hearing on insurance coverage for birth control, Rush Limbaugh called Fluke a “slut.” Democrats and many Republicans reacted with outrage, and the left made Limbaugh’s slur Exhibit A in what they called a GOP “war on women.” Fluke, meanwhile, weathered the attention with poise and maturity and emerged as a political celebrity. In 2012, Democrats turned the national spotlight on Fluke again by giving her a national-convention speaking slot as part of their push to make reproductive rights a central issue in the presidential campaign.

Sandra Fluke joined the Women, Gender, and Sexual Equity Department and the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee for a presentation on February 28^th at 7:30 pm at Campbell Hall to discuss what’s next in the political war on women and how women of all ages can stay energized and active now that the election is over. The lecture was open to students, faculty, staff and community members.

Annual Rape Crisis Center Benefit Dinner

During Spring Quarter TBTN hosted its annual Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center Benefit Dinner in the Loma Pelona Center. Food was served from delicious Silvergreens catering.

Grace Brown Photo Exhibition and Discussion

Partnering with the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center, Student Affairs Women, Gender, and Sexual Equity Programs, and Campus Advocacy Resources & Education (CARE), TBTN also co-sponsored Project Unbreakable: A Jeans for Justice Event an exhibition of photographs by Grace Brown and a discussion of her work with survivors of sexual assault.