Take Back the Night!

Take Back the Night and other Events During Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Break the Silence
Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend the campus events taking place during April – Sexual Assault Awareness Month – designed to provide information, elicit healing, and break the silence about sexual assault. 

Featured events include:

Denim Day, 11 am - 2 pm, Aztec Center – Wednesday 4/23

Denim Day, coordinated on campus by Frat MANers, is an international protest to myth-based injustice for sexual assault victims.

In 1997, a 17-year-old girl in Rome was raped by her driving instructor and later abandoned in an alley.  She filed charges and the perpetrator was convicted of rape and sentenced to jail.  The perpetrator appealed the case, won, and was released.

 "...Because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them.... And by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex."

~Statement released by the then residing Head Judge of the Italian Supreme Court

Enraged by the court's verdict, women in the Italian Parliament protested the decision by wearing jeans to work.  Shortly after learning of this demonstration, the California Senate and Assembly did the same.

During Denim Day, men and women are asked to wear denim in support of sexual assault awareness.

How You Can Help
At SDSU, Denim Day 2008 will have a two-fold purpose: discarding myth-based injustices and giving back to the community.  Frat MANers will be collecting jeans to donate to women's shelters throughout San Diego.  Look for donation bins across campus on April 23, or you can drop off gently used jeans to the Wellness Center located in the ARC.  All donations will go to local women in need.

Take Back the Night, 5 - 9 pm, Free Speech Steps – Thursday 4/24

Take Back the Night is a rally, march, and candlelight vigil to raise awareness about those currently in any type of abusive situation and to remember those whose lives have been taken at the hands of violence. 

Join us on this evening to listen to inspiring speakers and survivors of abuse, learn about resources at any one of the event's informational booths staffed by student and professional volunteers. This year, Take Back the Night will feature two keynote speakers: a survivor of sexual assault, and a health professional who will talk about the recovery process from sexual assault/rape.

The Clothesline Project: a mobile display of t-shirts created by survivors of violence against women and family members commemorating lost loved ones to abuse. The Clothesline Project will be on display the last week of April.

Informational tabling will be presented throughout the month.

On-campus Resources

The Andrea O'Donnell Women's Resource Center organizes SDSU's annual Take Back the Night and the Clothesline Project – (619) 594-5430 or wrc_sdsu@yahoo.com.

Center for Community Solutions provides immediate resources including legal, medical, and counseling services for survivors in San Diego County; available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – 1 (800) 385-4657.

Counseling & Psychological Services provides information about sexual assault and coping with trauma; what to do if you have been a victim or know someone who has been a victim of sexual assault; and a list of community resources  – (619) 594-5220.

Student Health Services provides emergency contraception pills; HIV information and testing; and women's health seminars – (619) 594-4325.

University Police provides a Police Escort Service program, (619) 594-6659; Crime Stoppers program; reporting suspicious persons and/or activities; and information on personal safety awareness

University Police reminds us that safety is a community effort. If you see any suspicious activities and/or persons on campus, immediately call (619) 594-1991.