Vigil Attendees Seek To Take Back the Night

With flickering candles in hand, about 50 Harvard community members gathered in front of Memorial Church Wednesday evening to share or listen to stories of healing after sexual assault.

For nearly an hour, attendees stood in a circle talking and reflecting as twilight faded into darkness. Several community members spoke up to describe experiences with sexual violence that affected them or someone they knew. For minutes at a time between moments of sharing, the group fell into silence.

After attendees had shared their stories, the group embarked on a “healing walk” across campus that stopped at the John Harvard statue, Boylston Hall, and Lowell House for readings of inspirational poetry and prose.

The vigil was the finale of a series of events marking “Take Back the Night,” a month-long initiative dedicated to raising awareness about sexual and domestic violence on campus and in the wider community. The events at Harvard were sponsored by the Office of Sexual Assault Prevention and Response.

Attendee Herman K. Bhupal ’16, a student liaison for OSAPR, said she was moved by Wednesday’s vigil.

“It was one thing to go from reading someone’s blog about their experience with sexual assault to standing feet away from someone,” Bhupal said. “The physicality of it was really powerful.”

Another attendee, Amanda I. Morejon ’13, said the vigil had “great symbolism.”

“After having done this whole month, we collectively and powerfully break silence,” said Morejon, who is a co-director of the sexual assault peer counseling group Response. “People not only go for themselves but also for others, as supporters and allies. That’s the thing about sexual violence, sexual assault, and rape—it almost never just affects that person. It affects them the hardest, but it hits the community.”

Reflecting broadly on the month’s events, Sarah A. Rankin, director of OSAPR, said she was pleased with the Take Back the Night programming, which ranged from film screenings to a discussion about consent and negotiation with Harvard College Munch, the kinky sex discussion group.

“We really tried to do a wide range of topics,” Rankin said. “I thought the lineup of events was incredible.”