Students and staff gathered in the Science Laboratory Center Atrium in order to celebrate and uplift the voices of Sexual Assault survivors at Winona State University. This once-a-year event aims to uplift the voices of sexual assault survivors through various activities such as speakers, creative demonstrations, as well as a marching protest through Winona.

On Monday March 15^th, a Winona State University tradition was upheld as the annual Take Back the Night event was held. This event has been going on at Winona State since the 1970s, but normally there is a class that is there to organize it. This year that class didn’t have a session, so the Reproductive Justice Club at Winona State took it upon themselves to ensure that this iconic event still took place.

The point of this event is to provide a space for survivors of sexual assault to feel that their voices can be not just heard but also amplified on campus. In a time where many changes are being made to policies, like Title IX, there is something to be said about the importance of this event to the people here at Winona State.

Karina Kpahn, a third-year chemistry major, is one of the people who ensured that this event went on at Winona State despite there not being a class to organize it.

“I think it [Take Back the Night] went really well alongside without stuff with Title IX and as we’re making spaces for survivors to put out their stories to also provide them a space to heal. And community with each other is important and a focal point of our event,” Kpahn said.

The sense of community at this event was built through singing a shared song, listening to people share their stories to ensure others they aren’t alone in their experiences and doing shared activities such as having a shared scream before and after the marching protest. This community building was important to many people at the event because it provided them with the knowledge that they are not alone, no matter what they have experienced, which allowed a feeling of strength to show itself.

A third-year sociology major at Winona State, Erin Farina, found herself at Take Back the Night for a second year in a row because of this shared sense of community that it gave to her.

“I came to this event last year, I actually randomly stumbled upon it, and I participated, and it made me feel really empowered to just be around a lot of people who share stories with me, or have other stories, it’s just the most empowering feeling to just be with all these people who have the same rage as I do,” Farina said.

Creating a sense of community and sharing a space for people to share their stories wouldn’t have been a possibility without all of the people who chose to speak up for various things that are considered feminist issues. Things like talking about missing and murdered Indigenous women, calling for a Free Palestine, as well as survivors of sexual assault giving their personal stories were all things that helped to build a sense of trust and community within those attending Take Back the Night.

One of the students who shared their personal story of survival of sexual assault at Take Back the night was the third year, special education major Emma Huppert. For her, telling her story was a way for her to heal, to help others heal and served as a way to bring awareness to what many people consider to be the unfair processes that many survivors of sexual assault must go through on campus.

“Take Back the Night is important to me because I can show others that I am strong and that I will keep speaking until I see change on this campus. This University and others need to see how the system is hurtful to survivors,” Huppert said. “There are many survivors who feel the same way but maybe haven’t spoken up about it. I am willing to be that person to start the talk, to start the change.”

The meaning of Take Back the Night is more than just about providing a space for conversation, community and healing, but also to provide a place for people to feel outrage at the systems in place and to advocate for change. This tradition of Take Back the Night has been going on for many years, and no matter its evolution, with passionate voices behind it, and a continuation of the conversations it sparks will be inevitable.