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YSU community takes back the night
YOUNGSTOWN
Video
“Yes means yes! No means no! Whatever we wear! Wherever we go!” students, staff and community members chanted Thursday during Youngstown State University’s Take Back the Night sexual violence awareness event.
YSU sociology student Gwen Mayberry said the message is easy to understand.
YSU's TAKE BACK THE NIGHT RALLY
“Take Back the Night is representing sexual violence women often experience when wandering throughout the night, and them taking back their right to safety in doing so,” she said.
Cryshanna Jackson-Leftwich, YSU director of the department of politics and international studies and women and gender studies, said the goal of Take Back the Night is to get the word out about sexual assault and to “see how we can make a difference.”
“We are letting the community become aware of how we are affected by sexual assaults,” Dawn Powell, Youngstown’s Rape Crisis and Counseling Center program director said.
According to the Rape Crisis and Counseling Center website – statistics courtesy of Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network – every two minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted and one out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.
Victims of sexual assault do not exclude men, however.
“One out of every 33 American men has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in his lifetime,” the website says. “Among all the victims, about nine out of 10 are female.”
College campuses are even more of a common place for sexual assaults, Powell added.
“On a college campus, you are four times more likely to be raped,” she said.
Kate Fitzgerald, YSU director of housing and residence, said the goal is simple: to make campus a safer place for students, staff and visitors.
Shawn Varso, YSU interim police chief, attended to offer advice in crime prevention. Some of his discussion points included:
Always be aware of your surroundings.
Travel with a buddy or in a group.
If you see something suspicious, tell the police.
“Just say something,” Varso said. “When the community helps us out, we can keep everyone safe.”
“This is about taking a stand,” said Detective Sgt. Delphine Badlwin Casey, one of the first women to serve on the Youngstown police force, Rape Crisis and Counseling Center board member and the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown’s victim-assistance coordinator.
Casey said she’s grateful to continue following her passion, carrying out some of the same work she did while she was a city officer in helping victims take their stand against crime.
Elly Felete, Rape Crisis and Counseling Center intern and soon-to-be YSU social work masters’ degree graduate, said beyond spreading awareness, it is the hope of those involved in Take Back the Night to change the culture.