On April 16-17, the Marlborough community will be given the opportunity to participate in an event that has been raising awareness about sexual assault, sexual abuse, dating violence, and domestic violence since 1976.
Marlborough is hosting its very own Take Back the Night Event, allowing for each one of us to add our voices to the growing collective of women who are discovering an international community of strong, intelligent, and empowered individuals who are fighting to end sexual violence against women.
Take Back the Night marches are meant to be consciousness-raising events that provide support for victims and allies through the exploration of shared experiences. The louder women speak and the more they share, without shame or embarrassment, the easier it becomes for millions of other young women to enter a global environment that does not teach them to approach their bodies as something they need to make apologies for.
Marlborough girls are ready and willing to contribute our strong and unyielding voices to the growing canon of feminist activism.
Our event will be held on Friday, April 16 as a school wide event, consisting of Denim Day, with all donations going to Peace Over Violence and the Take Back the Night Foundation, a march, and the production of a “These Hands Aren’t for Hurting Mural.”
On Saturday, April 17 from 7:30-10:00 pm in Caswell Hall, we will have our “Raise Your Voices, Lift your Hands,” night- time event which will consist of student performances that will include but are not limited to student readings of personal poetry and prose that address what it means to be a teenage girl in Los Angeles in 2010. We will also have a special guest from the Santa Monica Rape Treatment center as our key-note speaker who will talk to us about dating violence and date rape, seeing as these are some of the issues that most impact us as young women.
This event is meant to be community specific, and I want all of us to be involved in making the event as personally significant as possible. Whether you are interested in reading poetry, singing, or dancing, please contact me about how you can be involved in our evening program.
As women, we cannot afford to continue to downplay our own self-worth and we cannot approach our bodies with a tentative shyness that has been historically expected of us. Simply put, we are worth so much more than this and our bodies deserve love, respect, and protection in every conceivable way.
Please participate in Marlborough’s first Take Back the Night Event on April 16. Please come back and join us for a night of love, community, and tolerance on April 17, and bring all of the women that you know. Let’s take back the night!
Article by contributor Kelsey.
