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One by one, women came forward to talk about their experiences with
violence. Each with their own unforgettable tale of abuse at the hands
of some whom these women even loved. Each woman with a harrowing tale of
survival shed tears of joy and tears of sadness. Some cried, others
became angry, but through it all, the crowd of 200 supporters stood
side-by-side in a show of supportive spirit in the face of the dark side
of human nature.
They hugged, consoled one another and in the end took back what they had
lost- they took back the night. Last Friday evening amidst the cool
weather of the night, men, women and children marched down the strip
reclaiming lives of friends, loved ones and in some instances their own.
Their candle flames leading the way, each individual crowd member ,
stood in the face of the unknown and chanted for what they had lost,
whether it was their own personal safety or friends.
The annual Take Back the Night march sponsored by The Women's Center to
raise awareness about violence against women has become a staple of
Carbondale autumns. Yet, the need to hold one has not disappeared.
Carbondale resident Teri McKean, who participated in the event last
year, said the pain of watching community members, and human beings in
general, shedding their most painful and intimate emotions about
violence cannot be underestimated or overlooked.
In fact, McKean brought her daughter, even though she was too young to
understand the significance of the event. McKean said it was important
for her to be there to learn how a community embraces everyone within it
regardless of circumstance.
"I think it is very important at a small age to understand there is
community, and she's part of it," McKean said.
The march started at the Interfaith Center and ended at the town square
pavilion, which was covered with T-shirts from The Clothesline Project.
Each T-shirt represented an occurrence of violence against an individual
woman.
However, these shirts only represent a small proportion of the
approximately 4.9 million intimate partner rapes and physical assaults
against U.S. women annually, according to a 2000 study by the U.S.
National Institute of Justice and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
Furthermore, an estimated 86 percent of sexual assaults against college
students go unreported, according to a study by the U.S. Department of
Justice.
"I wanted to come out and support all the men, women and children who
don't have a voice," McKean said.
Take Back the Night, which originated in England, is more than 187 years
old. And today, it is practiced throughout the United States. The first
U.S. march took place in San Francisco in 1978 and drew a crowd of more
than 5,000 people.
This year's event in Carbondale drew more than 200 men, women and
children. They marched down Illinois Avenue, as witnesses stared on. The
group was led by the dove, a bird representing peace, and scattered
throughout the crowd were lit candles.
One man even stopped to ask what was happening, but the chants rising
from the participants overshadowed any doubts of the motive behind the
march.
"No more rape! No more violence! No more death! No more silence!" the
crowd shouted.
Furthermore, the marchers had a police escort that held traffic at
intersections to keep the crowd safe and officers stayed on scene to
make sure everyone was protected.
But, this year's march was not without its trials and tribulations.
As the group marched down the strip they were met with men dressed in
women's clothing that joined in the march mocking the encouraging words
the attendants were shouting into the night.
In fact, once at the pavilion, one of the men was approached by police
and asked to leave.
However, this did not stop women in the crowd from sharing their
experiences with domestic violence and sexual assault during the
"speak-out" session in the pavilion.
Michelle Garber, from Women's Services, said coming out for the march is
just one of the ways she can show her support for these individuals.
"I think all women experience some sort of abuse," Garber said. "I've
had my own experiences, which are easy to minimize, but none of it
should happen."
Charlot Schmidt, president of the Feminine Action Coalition, spoke about
how important the march is for students and community members.
One common misconception, she said, is that this march is for women
only.
"It's about safety for all," Schmidt said.
Additionally, Garber said, while there is normally a mixed crowd, she
enjoyed seeing all the men who came out to support them this year.
One of those men, Jason Stack of Carbondale participated, but said he
felt like a hypocrite because he has never been put in any situation
similar to what the women who spoke had to experience.
However, he said he was there to offer his support and would like to
have more men also come out to experience the march.
The night offered a chance for unity among community members, he said.
Daily Egyptian 
