Take Back the Night (TBTN)

INTRODUCTION

Take Back the Night (TBTN) began in the 1970’s as a series of world-wide marches and rallies protesting violence against womyn and supporting womyn’s right to move safely in their community day and night. Today, TBTN focuses on combating sexual assault, relationship and domestic violence, and providing support for survivors. Annual TBTN rallies exist on college campuses around the world.

Take Back the Night UCSB is a student funded, student run organization of Associated Students. It is dedicated to raising awareness about issues surrounding sexual violence through activism, advocacy, and survivor empowerment. By providing a forum for survivors and allies alike to make their voices heard, TBTN created an environment in which survivors of sexual violence began to heal. Along with its annual spring rally, TBTN hosted meetings and events throughout the year, which served as safe and educational spaces.

For all this students voted resoundingly to re-affirm TBTN’s lock-in funding in this year’s spring AS elections!

THIS YEAR’S OFFICERS

 

 

ANNUAL TBTN RALLY AND MARCH

The annual spring quarter Take Back the Night Rally and March culminates a year’s worth of engagement by students. It starts with a rally on campus and then then the march takes it to the streets of IV. It’s goal is to enlist the campus and IV communities to actively combat rape culture and confront the silence around sexual violence in Isla Vista, as well as on the UCSB campus. The event featured guest speakers, fun activites, food, and tabling by organizations on and off campus, including Planned Parenthood, the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center, CAPS, and more to provide information about their services. It ended at Anisq ‘Oyo’ Park where a space was created to share survivors stories and come together as a supportive community.

The event itself in all it’s parts was a space for both survivors and allies, in which they came together to heal and take back the streets of Isla Vista, where, sadly, many have felt unsafe.

“Claim our bodies, claim our right, take a stand, take back the night!”

Here are the pics!

EVENTS

Rally Against Rape Culture

TBTN fully supported the Rally Against Rape Culture event hosted by the Santa Barbara Students Activist Network. They marched in solidarity with victims of sexual assault and other activist organizations, including A.S. Queer Commission, the Rape Crisis Center, Pi Beta Phi, and Kappa Kappa Gamma.

H

Halloween Safe Space

As in years past, TBTN hosted a safe space at the Pardall Center over the Halloween weekend.

TBTN had CARE, SBRCC, and Health and Wellness resources available in this space for anyone who felt the need to utilize them! Potential visitors were invited to to stop by if they are in need of a breather from Isla Vistan Halloween festivities. They were also reminded that CARE personnel are *completely confidential* and are not mandated reporters, unlike most campus faculty and staff.

Deltopia Safe Space

With the annual Deltopia right around the corner, Take Back the Night hosted a safe space for any survivors who may needed a safe, quiet, and relaxing environment. They also reminded everyone that April is Sexual Assault Awareness month. The safe space at the Pardall Center was open Friday from 9pm to 12am and Saturday from 1pm to 6pm.

Slut Walk

SLUT is a word that exploded into a disturbing context after a Toronto police officer told a crowd of college women that if they wanted to avoid sexual assault, they shouldn’t dress like sluts. This sparked a worldwide campaign that outraged men and women across the country.

Take Back the Night, along with UCSB’s Womxn’s Commission and Women’s Center invited supporters to join the movement on this cause against sexual injustice, victim blaming, derogatory labeling and gender inequality through a demonstration known as the slut walk! Everyone was welcome to come in their best outfit, “whatever makes them feel sexy and beautiful!” Organizers wanted to show society that the clothes marchers choose to wear (or not to wear) is not an invitation to be violated! It all happened on the Lot 22 lawn where students enter campus from IV.

Activities at the event included:
♡BODY PAINTING
♡FLASH TATTOOSFIRMATION BOX MAKING
♡PHOTOBOOTH/POLAROID PICS
♡FLOWER CROWN MAKING
♡MARCH AROUND OUR COMMUNITY
♡FREE FOOD FROM NOTHING BUNDT CAKES AND SUBWAY

T-Shirts in the UCen

During spring quarter TBTN hung T-shirts in the UCen to support sexual assault survivors.

The Monument Quilt

TBTN brought the Monument Quilt to fill Storke Plaza for a day!

The Monument Quilt (https://themonumentquilt.org) is an on-going collection of stories from survivors of rape and abuse. Written, stitched, and painted onto red fabric, their stories are displayed in city and town centers to create and demand public space to heal. The quilt resists the popular and narrow narrative of how sexual violence occurs by telling many stories, not one. The quilt builds a new culture where survivors are publicly supported, rather than publicly shamed.

Take Back the Night decided to host this event and bring the Monument Quilt on Tuesday, April 25th from 11am to 5pm at Storke Plaza in order to show solidarity with survivors on campus and advocate for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. There was also a DIY quilt making station from 12-2pm where anyone could contribute to the quilt! 

The event was made possible and brought to the campus by Associated Students lock in fees!

Meeting with UC-wide Title IX coordinator Kathleen Salvaty

The new UC wide Title IX coordinator, Kathleen Salvaty, was on campus talking to students on May 3.  Participants in TBTN joined in on this important discussion hosted by Now UC SB.

FILM SCREENINGS

The Hunting Ground

Finding Dory Screening

TBTN ended the year with a finals destress screening of the movie Finding Dory in the MCC.

MEETINGS

TBTN’s weekly meetings sometimes included guest speakers and other activities to share resources available to students:

UCSB CARE (Campus Advocacy, Resources & Education)
Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center
Succulent Decoration. Students got creative to decorate the champs of drought resistance.

DIY manicures. Students were encouraged to stop in to get their nails done to their own liking and engage in intellectual conversations with other UCSB students about current events that impact their age group!

SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIOR OF THE WEEK

TBTN’S first Social Justice Warrior of the week is a fellow gaucho named Kevin Tran. He’s responsible for calling out a misogynistic and racist man on Tinder and banning him from the app for life!

INFO GRAPHIC OF THE WEEK

During winter quarter TBTN started posting a bi weekly info graphic, like this one base on an article in UC Berkeley’s Daily Californian.