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Take Back the Night meeting notes and plans, 1982

Take Back The Night : Speaking Out Page 1

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT: SPEAKING OUT

The first Take Back the Night three years ago focused on naming the issues of violence against women and ways we were learning to keep ourselves safe. Since that time, we have continued the exploration of the impact of violence in our lives on a very personal level and to name the types of violence we have experienced. Violence in our lives is an experience that all women share regardless of class, race, age, culture, national origin, appearance, sexual preference, or relative abilities. It varies only with regard to character and degree. Yet we are told that we are responsible for what happens to us, so we have learned to be silent and not experience the connection with other women. Women have been denied when their perceptions of the violence committed against them are denied and ridiculed. Speaking out means naming our experiences--naming them truly--"This is violence, this is rape, this is violation." We, as women, have begun to say out loud, "this is my experience", to hear our own voices explore the impact of institutional violence (diet industry, fashion industry, psychiatric institutions, jails, legal system, and on and on), rape, incest, battering, and sexual harrassment on the job and on the street.

Tonight, our focus will be breaking the silence; attempting to create a safe space for us to share our experiences and feelings about violence against women and to experience that connection which helps us reclaim our power. Speaking out is naming our experiences--our anger, our pain, our survival. Speaking out is reaching out to other women, some of whom may not yet be ready to speak. As we learn to speak out we need to respect that each woman defines violence as it touches her life. Each of us needs support for our experiences. We need to not minimize our own experiences because another woman's experience is "worse".

Each woman defines her own experience. In choosing to break the silence she decides who she will tell and what she will tell. Tonight, that means that we do not share what a woman has said with others who are not in our group. Women may choose not speaking tonight, but by their presence can give support and strength. As a woman hearing another woman's experience, each of us needs to realize that we can be sources of support and to trust our ability to be there for her.

Speaking out means not only coming together with other women to share pain and anger, but also learning to break the silence in our day-to-day lives. We need to look for safe places for that to happen. Tonight, women may turn to friends or women with whom they are comfortable. Because women my need support for sharing their experiences--women wearing green armbands a rmbands are available to provide support, if needed, during the rally and help women identify ways they can take care of themselves when they leave. Also attached is a list of places that offer ways for us to channel our anger, offer support, and get support.

Speaking out is claiming what we know--breaking the silence happens when we are ready. Tonight, whether we choose to speak or not--we are all part of creating/claiming a safe place. By choosing to be here all of us are courageous.

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TAKE BACK THE NIGHT: SPEAKING OUT The first Take Back the Night three years ago focused on naming the issues of violence against women and ways we were learning to keep ourselves safe. Since that time, we have continued the exploration of the impact of violence in our lives on a very personal level and to name the types of violence we have experienced. Violence in our lives is an experience that all women share regardless of class, race, age, culture, national origin, appearance, sexual preference, or relative abilities. It varies only with regard to character and degree. Yet we are told that we are responsible for what happens to us, so we have learned to be silent and not experience the connection with other women. Women have been denied when their perceptions of the violence committed against them are denied and ridiculed. Speaking out means naming our experiences--naming them truly--"This is violence, this is rape, this is violation." We, as women, have begun to say out loud, "this is my experience", to hear our own voices explore the impact of institutional violence (diet industry, fashion industry, psychiatric institutions, jails, legal system, and on and on), rape, incest, battering, and sexual harrassment on the job and on the street. Tonight, our focus will be breaking the silence; attempting to create a safe space for us to share our experiences and feelings about violence against women and to experience that connection which helps us reclaim our power. Speaking out is naming our experiences--our anger, our pain, our survival. Speaking out is reaching out to other women, some of whom may not yet be ready to speak. As we learn to speak out we need to respect that each woman defines violence as it touches her life. Each of us needs support for our experiences. We need to not minimize our own experiences because another woman's experience is "worse". Each woman defines her own experience. In choosing to break the silence she decides who she will tell and what she will tell. Tonight, that means that we do not share what a woman has said with others who are not in our group. Women may choose not speaking tonight, but by their presence can give support and strength. As a woman hearing another woman's experience, each of us needs to realize that we can be sources of support and to trust our ability to be there for her. Speaking out means not only coming together with other women to share pain and anger, but also learning to break the silence in our day-to-day lives. We need to look for safe places for that to happen. Tonight, women may turn to friends or women with whom they are comfortable. Because women my need support for sharing their experiences--women wearing green armbands a rmbands are available to provide support, if needed, during the rally and help women identify ways they can take care of themselves when they leave. Also attached is a list of places that offer ways for us to channel our anger, offer support, and get support. Speaking out is claiming what we know--breaking the silence happens when we are ready. Tonight, whether we choose to speak or not--we are all part of creating/claiming a safe place. By choosing to be here all of us are courageous. [[handwritten]] 4 [[handwritten]]