Hello Student Orgs -

As I'm sure you've heard by now, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and there are a lot of great events happening in honor of this occasion throughout April. One of the biggest events taking place is Take Back The Night (TBTN).

Take Back the Night is an internationally recognized protest and rally to address sexual assault and abuse. TBTN creates an atmosphere of empowerment while raising awareness about sexual violence and advocating for its end. UMBC’s TBTN 2014 (cosponsored by the Women’s Center and University Health Services, with support from campus partners like President’s Commission for Women) will be both a part of this international movement and uniquely our own.

Why sexual assault awareness is important
According to the Take Back The Night Foundation, 1 out of 6 American women have been victims of attempted or completed rape in their lifetime, and one in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. Sexual assault and domestic violence are clearly prevalent. We live in a culture that promotes sexual violence, blames and/or fails to support sexual assault survivors, and encourages silence on these issues. As long as the aforementioned conditions persist, women will continue to be subjected to sexual violence and abuse at significant rates.

TBTN Schedule: Tues. April 15, 2014

• Community Resource Fair and the Clothesline Project -  6:30 p.m. on the Commons Terrace
• Speak Out – an open forum for survivors of sexual assault and allies to share their stories or the stories of loved ones – 7:00 p.m. on the Commons Terrace
• March (around campus) against sexual violence - 8:00 p.m.
• Solidarity performance featuring the band, Last to Fire - 8:30 p.m in the Commons SportsZone

What YOU can do!
In addition to your individual support, we encourage student orgs to show their support as a group by wearing a team color or organization t-shirt at the event. Students orgs are also invited to make rally signs for the march around campus to show their solidarity against sexual violence. Student organizations with the most creative and thoughtful rally sign messages are eligible to win Take Back the Night t-shirts.

Rally Sign Making will be sponsored on the following days:

•   Tuesday, April 8^th from 11am-1pm, Commons Breezeway
• Monday, April 14^th from 1-3pm, Women's Center
• Student organization are also encouraged to make rally signs on their own if they can’t make these times. For questions, contact Jess at womens.center@umbc.edu.

Please be sure to come out and support this awesome event and to help promote it throughout April! The event flyer is attached. And for details about the other events that are happening for SAAM, click on this link!

To learn more about TBTN, read this Breaking Ground post from last year,