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APRIL 2, 2009 ISSUE

NOW Hosts Take Back the Night March April 8

Story by Ali Drake

The Boone Chapter of National Organization for Women (NOW) will host ASU’s 7th annual Take Back the Night march, rally and speak-out at 7:00 p.m. on Duck Pond Field on Wednesday, April 8. The event is held to raise awareness about sexual assault.

The protest’s activities begin with the rally at Duck Pond Field, where organizers will provide supplies for people to make signs for the march. The march will then proceed from Rivers Street down King Street to I.G. Greer Hall. The event ends with a speak-out, an open forum for anyone to talk about their experience with sexual assault.

“There needs to be a forum where survivors and their supporters may speak out loudly against sexual violence,” said Eva Hyatt, the NOW faculty advisor at ASU. In her opinion, she explained, a silent march does not provide the outlet that some survivors of sexual assault need to move past their experience. “Every time we do this, someone speaks who has never told their story before and that is hugely empowering,” she said.

Several community members will talk at the speak-out, including a University Police officer, who will explain the process of reporting sexual violence and provide information about self-defense classes. Also speaking are Claire Williams from OASIS and several survivors of sexual assault.

OASIS, an organization “dedicated to ending domestic violence and sexual assault in Watauga County,” is lending a hand for this year’s protests along with several students from a service learning class at ASU.

A collaborating event planned for April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, is the Clothesline Project, which will be on display in I.G. Greer during the speak-out. The Clothesline Project is an ongoing collection of hand painted t-shirts that survivors and supporters have made as a form of artistic expression.

“Everyone is welcome,” said Hyatt. “We appreciate all community support.” For more information about NOW and Take Back the Night, call Eva Hyatt at 828-262-2926. For general information about OASIS, call 828-264-1532. The OASIS 24-hour crisis hotline is 828-262-5035 or 800-268-1488.