Students protest sex violence

More than 100 Penn women gathered on College Green for "Take Back the Night." Wearing blue and white T-shirts emblazoned with the words "End The Violence," a procession of women marched down Locust Walk yesterday, chanting "Women unite! Take back the night!" More than 100 women and a handful of men took part in "Take Back the Night," an annual event protesting sexual violence and other crimes against women. The night's activities included a rally, a march and a speak-out. Earlier in the evening, about 120 students gathered on College Green to hear Philadelphia group Sincerely Yours sing gospel with a message of peace and hope for victimized women. "It's a really emotional night," said College junior Nicole Plumez, a member of Students Together Against Acquaintance Rape, one of the co-sponsors of the event. College sophomore Ellie Lobovits, a member of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, which also co-sponsored the event, said the purpose of the event was to "give people space to tell their stories" and "to make people aware of how prevalent this issue is." During the rally, Penn Women's Center Director Elena DiLapi spoke to the audience about the "individual and collective pain" of victims of sexual violence." "Here at the University of Pennsylvania, there's a lot of psychological and physical abuse that goes on in relationships," she said. But she used a hat embroidered with the phrases "No Fear" and "Wounds Heal" as a prop to show that there is hope for survivors of sexual violence. DiLapi was followed by Lobovits, who gave a crowd-rousing speech in which she said women in this society have been deprived of their fundamental rights. "I am your sister, you are my sister and we are one," she said. "We live in a patriarchy where women are taught to be weak, passive and so skinny they cannot fight for themselves." "Six hundred and seventy thousand women per year are raped or assaulted," she continued. "The issue is silenced and pushed back." About 30 students chose to participate in the march that followed. With the Philadelphia Women's Bagpipe Corps trailing behind, the students chanted and sang down Hamilton Walk, Spruce Street and Locust Walk. Throughout the 30-minute march, College senior and STAAR member Alayne Freidel kept chanting into the loudspeaker to keep the marchers motivated. The marchers returned to College Green for the second portion of the rally, the survivor speak-out. Counselors were available to prepare survivors before they spoke. Both women and men spoke openly about their personal experiences with sexual abuse and rape as participants lit candles in support. Plumez emphasized the healing power of sharing personal experiences with others and "how much you can touch someone and how much you can help someone just by telling your story." The audience was clearly moved by the speakers. "I almost starting crying," Engineering junior Jen Orloff said.

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