Approximately 70 students gathered at the speaker’s platform lawn near the University Bookstore last Thursday as part of “Take Back The Night,” an event designed to break the silence about sexual violence.
The event was hosted by Feminist Organization Reclaiming Consciousness and Equality (FORCE) and co-sponsored by Project Safe, which hosts The Clothesline Project supported by the Cal State Long Beach Women’s Resource Center.
“Take Back The Night” is an international event, held primarily on college campuses, that brings sexual assault, rape, domestic violence, incest, sexual harassment, queer-phobia and trans-phobia into the public eye.
The event began with a rally led by guest speakers, including Diane Hayashino, staff psychologist for Counseling and Psychological Services. She emphasized the importance of breaking the silence.
“Healing and recovery comes from breaking the silence, and getting support from others that’s validating rather than judgmental helps with the process,” Hayashino said.
FORCE holds the event every year as an on-campus safe haven for survivors of sexual violence and as a matter of support for April’s Sexual Assault Awareness month.
“We changed the event this year because we wanted to integrate with The Clothesline Project,” chair of FORCE Emily Munoz-Snyder said.
The Clothesline Project reported that the number of known survivors of sexual violence on college campuses is lower than the general public because students fear recognition.
In addition, the statistics said that 85 percent of rapes on campuses are by an acquaintance or date, and 42 percent of college women who are raped do not tell anyone about the assault.
The YWCA of greater Los Angeles is an off-campus organization that offers sexual assault crisis services.
“Although we’re not on campus, we do a lot of outreach on campus to make students aware of our services,” said Ashleigh Klein, a master’s student at CSULB and program specialist for the YWCA.
A mix of students and some CSULB grads showed their support for the cause.
“I’m here because it’s a great opportunity to get women and men on campus together to recognize that sexual assault is prevalent in society, especially on college campuses,” senior psychology and women’s studies major Rhianna Maras said.
Cyrus Fernandez, a history graduate of CSULB, came to support the event and show that men are part of the equation too.
“It’s a very serious issue and getting survivors to break the silence confronts the issue head-on,” Fernandez said.
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