Tag: Take Back The Night

Breaking the Silence

Written, photograph and video by Marissa Greene

For the month of April people around the world are starting conversations about this month’s observance which is sexual assault and violence awareness. One way that society acknowledges this issue is through something called the Clothesline Project.

The Clothesline Project began with the Cape Cod’s Women’s Defense agenda in Hyannis, Massachusettes in 1990. According to the Clothesline Project, these women discovered that during the same time that 58 thousand soldiers were killed during the Vietnam war, 51 thousand women were killed in the U.S alone due to an act of sexual assault or sexual violence. To raise awareness of this issue, The Clothesline Project recognizes victims, survivors, or honors one who experiences this trauma by hanging a clothesline of shirts to represent those affected by sexual assault or sexual violence. Through these powerful visuals, The Clothesline Project hopes to make communities aware of the problem and how to get help. 

Sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence are all serious health issues that affect all people. According to a National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence, Survey is done by the CDC in 2015 one in every five women has experienced completed or attempted rape during her lifetime. The same survey also states that one in 14 men have experienced forced penetration in his lifetime. 

The Clothesline Project states on their website that “A public must be informed about violence in order to act to prevent it. Information on how to recognize and prevent violence, reach out to survivors and make a difference in the community is provided at each display of the project.” 

One way our Riverbat community has gotten this conversation started is through the conjunction with the Its on Us campaign. A social movement that shed light on college sexual assault and encouraged college students to pledge to do their part to change society. 

“So we had the Its on Us campaign, where students were able to pledge and show their support to other students and other survivors And then we brought the clothesline project with that, so students, again, have that voice to go out and have an outlet to talk about their stories or stories of their loved ones,” said Tamara Yanes, Student Life Coordinator. 

Austin Community College and it’s Student Life didn’t stop there. Instead, they sought more ways students can have an expressive outlet and support one another.

“At ACC we really looked at an opportunity in 2017 to bring a college-wide presence of supporting victims and showing a memorial for victims as well as survivors as an opportunity to cast light on the topic and give them the opportunity to express their emotion,” said Austin Wood, ACC Compliance Investigator. 

During that year, the ACC community planned to incorporate The Clothesline Project’s mission within the school. 

“We launched it in spring 2017 and it was something that had great success and was at every campus,” said Wood. 

After the launch, every April, students were able to participate or observe a clothesline full of shirts with expressive messages that students created hung up outside the campus or inside the commons. Giving all students a chance to see and become informed. These events shed light on the resources available to student survivors. 

“This is a way for their voice to be heard and shatter the silence and just make it so that students feel comfortable to come out and talk to us and see that we are here to support them. We are here to help them out. We are here to lead them in the right direction when it comes to getting those resources that they need,”  said Yanes. 

Along with The Clothesline Project, ACC hosts an annual Take Back the Night event every April where the college comes together with community resources as another way to spread awareness and provide a way for students to be heard. 

“This may be the first time that they even say something happened to them. And seeing that changes to: “this does happen. I can say something. I do have a voice.” and it’s just to see how empowering it is for those students to finally say something,” said Yanes. 

“There is a big stigma on being a victim or survivor of this. It’s almost kind of like a barrier. So to create a conversation around it, that the barrier is kind of broken and we are able to get past that stigma- then there is a lot that people can do to support one another and have a greater sense of unity and community. And that’s really cool, that’s the foundation of the college,” said Wood.

One of the biggest ways students can make an impact to shatter the silence is to be an active bystander. This means to not just witness a situation but also take measures to deescalate it or standing up for someone else.

“If you see something, say something. A lot of times we just want to shy away from different things that are outside in the world, and we just don’t want to be involved in it. At the end of the day, we need to say something and we need to be that powerful voice because there are some people that don’t have that yet, and we need to advocate for them” said Yanes. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_video link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG_HcfL-UJU&feature=youtu.be”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]More resources on austincc.edu/mysl

Some resources listed on MySL:

  • ACC Counseling Offices — Learn more about services and programs across the district that aim to foster life balance, develop personal and academic growth, and help maintain a safe and healthy learning environment.
  • ACC District Police — Officers are available on campuses at all times when campuses are open. ACC offers police escorts if you ever feel you need someone to walk with you on campus.
  • Safe Place — Safe Place is ending sexual and domestic violence through safety, healing, prevention and social change.
  • National Women’s Shelters Directory — Listing of shelters in the Austin area.
  • Texas Advocacy Project — Provides free legal services statewide to victims of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
  • Texas Council on Family Violence — The Texas Council on Family Violence has three main focuses: policy, support to service providers and retention.
  • City of Austin Victim Services Resources — A detailed list of 24-hour crisis hotlines, victim assistance programs, support groups/counseling services and alcohol drug abuse prevention programs.

 

ACC Highland Point of Light for Take Back The Night

Written By Ruben Hernandez
Video By Nathaniel Torres

Austin Community College hosted its first ever Take Back the Night event, focused on the support of those who have undergone sexual assault or domestic violence. The event not only offered a variety of resources, but also a march through the main Highland Campus building and a speak out, where survivors were able to share their stories.

“Take Back the Night is a great event for students to get in contact with faculty, staff, and the community,“ Compliance Investigator Austin Wood said.
“It gives a platform for individuals to express themselves and share their stories. It’s also an opportunity to meet advocates and allies, connected with a population of support and passion. It’s a night of celebration and really making it through the hard and tough times.”

Take Back the Night maintained a high emphasis on the aspect of bonds and community, stating several times that those who have undergone assault or abuse aren’t alone. There are resources and people to help.
“It’s not something that anyone should have to deal with by themselves if they do feel that way,” Wood said. “It’s a really difficult thing that individuals have to go through, such trauma and such harm. But to know that there are resources such as this event and a community within the college itself, it really provides an outlet to know that they are not alone.”

Most notably during the Speak Out session, survivors were able to share their stories
and explain how far they have come since being abused or assaulted. Whoever wanted to share their story was welcome to walk up to the mic and start.
“The Speak Out began with an awesome keynote speaker,” Social and Civic Awareness and Student Life Coordinator Carrie Cooper said. “She shared her story about her leaving an abusive relationship while starting here at ACC. I think that was encouraging to other students and faculty staff members to come share their stories.”

Media has definitely played a part in spreading the message, but hearing it first-hand seems to have a different effect.
“It’s one thing to see statistics and news stories, but it’s another thing to hear someone’s actual story,” Cooper said. “It helps you put a person to the issue and realize why it’s so important for all of us to stand up against sexual and domestic violence. When you actually hear people’s stories, it spurs you on like nothing else will.”

ACC is one of the many campuses in the nation that holds a Take Back the Night event, but it is one of 10 campuses that will be featured by the Take Back the Night Foundation.
“The 10 Points of Light are 10 different campuses and locations that will be featured by the National Take Back the Night Foundation on April 25,” Cooper said. “I lead the TBTN planning committee, and after I applied, the national foundation reached out to me and asked if ACC would be interested in being featured.”

Victims of sexual assault or domestic violence can be anyone of any gender, skin color, race, or sexual identity. People are different, but the stories can be similar.
“What I learned from Take Back the Night is that everyone is different,” Riverbat Ambassador Jesse Fraga said. “These people were here sharing their stories, and expressing how they feel.”

Providing opportunities for victims is something that is widely emphasized, and resources such as counselors and the SAFE Alliance were there at Take Back the Night to emphasize that.
“What stuck out to me the most was how powerful it is to hear from other people who have been where you are,” Cooper said. “I think it is encouraging in a way that nothing else is encouraging. It’s good for students to be able to hear other peoples’ stories, and realize that they’re not alone and there’s nothing wrong with them.”

Fraga believes that support and encouragement are key to handling these types of situations.
“If that one person tells a friend about their situation, that friend needs to encourage that person to speak up,” Fraga said. “It’s really severe. That’s what Take Back the Night is about: how severe it can get and the support for those people. If you’re someone that has had a friend tell you about their tragedy, it’s our job to convince them to speak up or have them talk to a counselor because this can get very bad.”

With the recent #MeToo movement, sexual assault and domestic violence have become a more significant and serious topic. This was one of the things that started the effort to a better and more well-aware society.
“It’s a really hard and sometimes awkward thing to talk about,” Cooper said. “Obviously our culture has changed with the #MeToo movement. It still takes a lot to talk in front of a group of people in real life, which is a lot different than making a social media post. That still takes courage, but being present with people can make it healing in a way because you can see people who you see your own story in.”

People of all sorts of backgrounds have free access to these resources. No matter where you’re from or who you are, support is available for anyone in need of it.
“I think its a huge resource and shows that the college shows an emphasis on support,” Wood said. ”Everybody has a background and everyone goes through life experiences, and it’s important to know that there’s a place and an outlet for all individuals of diverse backgrounds. We all have different experiences and come from different places in life.”

The bond between community and victim is something that can make the world of a difference, and Take Back the Night was to serve as the connection between the two.
“I hear stories about how bad it can get without speaking up,” Fraga said. “I think that what the most important thing is: speak up no matter what. Whether you’re the friend or the victim, as a community we need to speak up louder and louder.”