The tenth annual Take Back the Night rally and march to raise awareness of rape and domestic violence will be held on Saturday, September 28, 2002, at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster, in Naperville. Exhibits, music, vendors, food, and information booths will open to the public at 5:00 p.m. U.S. Rep. Judy Biggert, chair of the Women's Caucus in the U.S. Congress, will be the keynote speaker. A traditional and powerful part of the rally will be the Survivor Speak-Out segment at which time people will share their personal stories of pain, healing and survival. This year's rally will also feature the Clothesline Project and Silent Witness display. Symbolic of hanging out dirty laundry, each shirt in the Clothesline Project is designed by or made in honor of those who have suffered from abuse. The T-shirts illustrate the problems of rape, incest, and violence in a unique and exceedingly powerful way. The Silent Witness display honors the lives of women killed in domestic violence. Following the March through downtown Naperville to protest for our right to live free from violence, the demonstration will conclude with a song and candle lighting ceremony.
The first American Take Back the Night March was held in San Francisco in 1978. Since that time, Marches have taken place in cities across the country providing women with a unique opportunity to empower themselves and claim independence from the victimization that has previously controlled their lives. Nationally, each year more than 2.5 million women are victims of violent crime and more than 2.7 million cases of suspected child abuse are reported. Domestic Violence is the second most commonly reported crime in DuPage County.
Take Back the Night sponsors include American Association of University Women, American Cancer Society, Aurora Business & Professional Women, Aurora University, College of DuPage (Phi Theta Kappa & Service Learning Center), DePaul University (Naperville), EQUAL! (Lucent), Family Shelter Service, Four Corners Artists, GSA (Neuqua Valley & Naperville Central High Schools), League of Women Voters (Naperville), Mutual Group, Naperville North High School Feminist Roundtable, Naperville Police Department, National Council of Jewish Women, National Organization for Women (NOW), North Central College, Survivors Against Abuse by Therapists, and the YWCA DuPage District.