Take Back the Night Rally and March Set for October 13th

(KNSI) — The Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center is holding its annual Take Back the Night Rally and March at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph next week.

Safe Harbor Services Coordinator Cassie Bauman says they hold the event to raise awareness for domestic and sexual violence survivors because “We want them to know that we see them, that we hear them, that their stories are valid and that we believe them. Sometimes it’s nice to just kind of feel seen and heard. And by having this event we’re letting them know that they are seen and heard.”

She says there will be a mix and mingle, a speaker, followed by the march, which will start and end on the CSB campus. Bauman says they also hold a clothesline display made up of t-shirts that survivors have written their stories or messages on. She says it is “a way to hear firsthand from our survivors. And then we hang those up, so people are able to see and read them.”

There is no cost to participate, and anyone can show up to take part in the walk. Central Minnesota Take Back the Night is Thursday, October 13th, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

According to statistics provided by the sexual assault center, every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States.

The Central MN Take Back the Night Planning committee is sponsored by Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center, Anna Marie’s Alliance, SCSU Women’s Center, College of Saint Benedict-Saint John’s University, Central Minnesota Child Advocacy Center, Planned Parenthood, Zonta, CERTS, Institute for Women’s Leadership, CSB & SJU Multicultural Student Services; CSB Campus Security; and several CSB & SJU Student Groups, as well as additional support from Planned Parenthood, Bradshaw and Bryant, Purple Pain Tattoo Studio, and Spice of Life Tea Shop.

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