May 13, 2002
Contact: Karen Gimarc (509-963-2127/fax 509-963-2121/e-mail: ecenter@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Central Washington University’s Center for Student Empowerment is hosting its annual “Take Back the Night” march and rally on Tuesday, May 14. “Take Back the Night” is designed to draw attention to violence against women. The purpose of the event is to bring together organizations, civic leaders and individuals to protest violence against women and to promote awareness of the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that perpetuate this specific type of violence.
“Take Back the Night is a program designed to empower women to proclaim their right to be safe and free of violence,” Karen Gimarc, Center for Student Empowerment community programmer says. “Our goal is to have members from the CWU campus and the Ellensburg community becoming involved in this event.”
The events will begin at 5 p.m. in the Samuelson Union Building’s Club Central. At 6 p.m., CWU President Jerilyn S. McIntyre will speak. She will be followed by excerpts read from Kathryn Anderson’s published works.
The march and rally will begin at 7 p.m. at the SUB, continuing through the CWU campus and ending in the Barge Hall courtyard with a candlelight vigil. At the vigil there will be a moment of silence to honor the victims of violence. An open microphone opportunity will follow for people to share thoughts, feelings or written works related to their experiences.
“Take Back the Night” started in Germany in 1973, with a night rally to express solidarity for women who were victims of sexual violence there. Since then, it has become an international event, and a way for men, women and children to speak out against sexual violence.
For more information about the event, call (509) 963-2127, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-3323.
