Penn Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention held its annual Take Back the Night march on Thursday.
The April 9 demonstration — organized in collaboration with Penn Violence Prevention and Penn Women’s Center — drew nearly 300 participants. Before the march, a resource fair hosted on College Green featured speeches from Vice Provost for University Life Karu Kozuma and women’s health nurse practitioner Joyce McNeill from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
ASAP President and Take Back the Night Co-Chair Ashley Kim, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the event was meant to “create a movement where students can participate and really stand in solidarity with survivors.”
The group marched down Locust Walk from College Green before returning to the ARCH building for ASAP’s Survivor Speakout.
During the march, participants hoisted posters in the air and chanted slogans such as “students unite, take back the night.”
Kim stated that she hoped the rally would “show some of the resources that exist here at Penn,” and remind students that they “are not alone.”
College senior Anna Bellows – a former ASAP board member and a Penn Anti-Violence Education peer educator — told the DP that she wants students to know that they’re “safe on this campus” and the groups organizing the event will “continue to fight” for them.
She explained that campuses and workplaces internationally have Take Back the Night marches to “support survivors” and “show people that these campuses and spaces are safe” for them.
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"So we won’t be scared of walking on our own campus,” Bellows said. “I’m amazed at the people who show up and the staff that’s here to support us and the way that student leaders continue to make a difference on campus for the betterment of both their own classes and everyone who comes after them.”
The Survivor Speakout, which Kim described as the “capstone to this event” served as a platform for students to share personal stories and offer support to each other.
“Unlike the march and the rally, which is trying to get as many people out there, to be loud, to raise awareness — this one is a lot more intimate, a lot more quiet, it really is just for survivors and supporters,” said Kim.
“It has been such a great experience to be able to provide a space for individuals to share their stories and really feel empowered,” College sophomore Nicolina Monacelli — who represents ASAP at the University Council — told the DP.
College junior and incoming Undergraduate Assembly President Musab Chummun echoed a similar sentiment.
“A lot of students carry around burdens that we often don’t see and it’s through events like these that we’re able to highlight these issues on campus and hopefully motivate groups on campus to start to become more active and administrators to proactively help students who are in need of support,” Chummun told the DP at the event.
“I think it is through loud marches or actions of disruption that we can show that these issues are not insignificant,” he added.
In a Wednesday announcement to the Penn community, Penn President Larry Jameson wrote that the University’s “condemnation of sexual misconduct is unwavering.”
“I aspire for Penn to become a national model for eliminating sexual harassment and violence—not merely in policy, but in culture,” the April 8 message read. “That aspiration begins with each of us. I commit to continuing this work with urgency, transparency, and accountability, and I ask you to join me.”
Jameson’s message outlined signals of possibly sexual harassment, the importance of “allyship,” and a description of the University’s Title IX policies.
“I applaud the student, staff, and faculty leaders of Take Back the Night and thank our resource partners for supporting our community with courage and care,” he wrote. “If we all commit to this work consistently and compassionately, Take Back the Night will one day serve as a reminder of what our community chose to change and what it must continue to protect.”
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Staff reporter Luke Petersen covers national politics and can be reached at petersen@thedp.com. At Penn, he studies philosophy, politics, and economics. Follow him on X @LukePetersen06.
Staff reporter Candice Felderer covers admissions and can be reached at felderer@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies philosophy, politics, and economics.
