Let me empower you...

I am not the most outwardly religious or enlightened person, but I think I came pretty close to a spiritual experience this past Thursday.

It had, of course, to be the annual Take Back the Night (also called Reclaim the Night in some circles) march in the downtown! I arrived at the meeting place, the square in front of KoFusion and Soma, and the advocates and county police were already gathering there. The police were there to protect the marchers, and the advocates were the folks spearheading the march. They were all gathered around the banner and some posters and adding their slogans to them. I pitched right in to make some posters for them. Students, teachers, and community members began to pour into the square, all of us adorned in our black and teal "This is what a feminist looks like" or "TAKE UP SPACE" shirts. Ross and Pat from Office of Women's Programs were out with their grad students. Ursula and Sarah, two counselors, wore orange safety vests and rode their bikes up and down the square to be the security and to show people that we meant business. Kerri, our head legal advocate, brought her partner Ari and their two little sons. The little boys colored in the banner and were surprisingly calm and well-behaved for so young. Kerri was telling them that they'd get to yell and scream all they pleased on the march, which is probably why they were so quiet now! The domestics from Rock Against Rape were there, and they were making everyone laugh with their rough-around-the-edges sense of humor. Jennie, the director of advocacy services, was frantically rushing around (then again, when isn't she?), making sure everything was just perfect. Her work, though, was about to pay off!

We were ready to begin the rally when the square was filled. It was a veritable sea of teal. Jennie took the mike first and welcomed us to Take Back the Night. She looked so nervous! (But then again, I probably would have been too.) She thanked us for coming and introduced our twenty-seven-year TBTN veteran, Pat, to give the next speech. Then Pat came up and gave us the history of the march, from its very early days in Europe to its popularization in the states. It sent chills down my spine. She detailed the first march in the US, through the red light districts of San Francisco, all-women and all carrying candles to symbolize a struggle through the darkness of sexual violence. Despite the fact that I am a HUGE proponent of the march being coed, I could picture myself at that San Fran march, with a candle and surrounded by those early activists, marching through the red light district and helping show that WE MEANT BUSINESS and would NOT be pushed aside or forced to be silent. I felt a sense of solidarity, of sisterhood, with those women and with the men and women surrounding me. Everyone was reverently silent as she continued. When Pat speaks, the world listens and takes note. She then closed it with a quote from the late great and oh so amazing Andrea Dworkin, "Not one of us is free until all of us are free." The audience erupted in applause!

The keynote speaker was a victim advocate named Marleen who came all the way from Cape Town, South Africa. She was talking about performing interventions in Africa, and opening a center for women and girls. Marleen was the type who had "been there, done that" in terms of activism. She discussed the interconnectedness of the different social movements, and she described working to end apartheid back in the eighties, which was what helped her branch into women's movements. She would definitely be the type of speaker I would want to come back again, because I was hooked!

The last two speeches were from a prevention educator named Nick and a medical advocate named Sarah. Nick had a terrific male-feministic speech that discussed how feminism is also for men (very in the vein of something Ross would say) because it challenges men to do better than just believing that it's their prerogative to be bossy and controlling. He was calm and collected, saying, "I am a feminist and a husband. I can support women without bossing them around. I can be a feminist and have my testicles securely attached...much to my wife's relief!" Both humorous and serious. He ended it by pointedly looking at all the men in the square and said, "Feminists believe that men can do better. I am up for the challenge. Are you ready to man up and meet the challenge too?" I had met Nick on my multicultural committee and had talked with him at Rock Against Rape, and he's a great guy. His wife found herself a keeper! Sarah, the medical, was one of the new ones, and she was talking about the camraderie of the advocates and the common goal. Her speech was a model of hope and enthusiasm.

Then the march began. Ursula and Sarah got on their bikes and flanked the marchers. Tricia, Ayla, and Amber grabbed the banner and led the marchers, with Jennie close behind. Kerri came up to me and said, "Alex, can you scream?" I said yes, and I was rewarded with a list of the chants. My job was to help lead the chants! I was situated between the marchers and would lead the chants along with Jennie, since her bullhorn could only carry her voice so far (and we had TONS of marchers). I had NEVER led the TBTN chants before, and here was my time to do so! Here's a little of what we said:

What do we want? SAFE STREETS! When do we want them? NOW!

Survivors unite! Take back the night!

No more violence, no more hate! No more silence, no more rape!

No matter how we dress, no matter where we go, yes means yes, and no means no!

Get your hands off me, I'm not your baby. No means no, it never means maybe!

We have the power, we have the right. The streets are ours, take back the night!

And on we marched. I was yelling and leading the chants. I was helping take back the night. We marched past the outdoor cafes like Pekara and the bars like Seven Saints and Guido's, and the people seated outdoors began to cheer for us or chant along with us as we passed. We passed the fancy restaurants like Bacaro and Radio Maria, and the patrons banged on the windows, waved, and screamed when they saw us. Cars and bikes passed by, with their horns honking and drivers yelling, "THAT'S RIGHT, TAKE BACK THE NIGHT!" A camera crew from the local news channel did their best to keep up with us and film the march (Nick said he saw us on TV when he was at Murphy's later that night). And on. And on. I felt such a sense of camraderie, and such a sense of pure excitement, like a shockwave was going through me. Here I was, with so many people with the same goal as me. We looked and sounded nothing alike, but our desire to end violence was what was uniting us. Women and men and children (Ari and Kerri's kids were happily screaming the chants along with their parents) alike. My throat was killing me by the end, but I was so on fire it didn't even matter. It reminded me of that first moment when I decided to go into crisis intervention--like I was sure of my passion and that nothing would stop me. This march only reaffirmed why I was in it!

After the march, we spilled back into the square, thanked our security and spearkers, and ran around congratulating each other on another successful march. Nick and Paul, two of my prevention educators, joined me in getting some caffeine at Aroma Cafe. When we stepped in, some of the men at a table in the front yelled, "Hey we know you! Survivors UNITE! You took back the night!" It felt amazing and was the perfect close to the evening.

It was truly a profound experience and one I will be sure to remember. I still get the chills and the shockwave just thinking about it. Next year, I want the bullhorn and will be up in front!