Giving the keynote speech before more than 400 students and faculty gathered in Price Center for the annual “Take Back the Night” event, San Diego City Councilwoman Donna Frye announced her intentions to run in the probable special mayoral election later this year.
Speaking at the annual celebration designed to show support for victims of sexual assault, rape and domestic violence, Frye shared details of her own life, talking about a previous abusive marriage and her experience as a 16-year-old rape victim.
“If my coming out here can come through to one person, it gives me the courage to talk to someone,” Frye said.
After announcing her intent to run to replace resigning San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy, Frye ended her talk by yelling, “Take back the night, but help me take back the city!”
Coordinated by the A.S. Women’s Commission, the evening is designed to raise public awareness of the issues faced by victims of sexual assault, rape and domestic violence. In addition to Frye, the night included other guest speakers, student testimonials and a candlelight vigil, along with musical performances.
“I’ve never seen anything like this on this campus,” commission president Nandini Pillai said. “This is one of the few events that brings all aspects of the campus together.”
Working with such organizations as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Centers and leaders of Greek organizations, the commission encouraged students from groups all over campus to attend, particularly men from the fraternity community.
Eleanor Roosevelt College junior Johnny Pierce heeded the committee’s call, along with other members of the Sigma Nu fraternity.
“I was impressed with how many people there were, especially guys,” Pierce said. “It’s good to get insight into how women are feeling. It’s moving. You don’t get to see that every day.”
Part of the night included open-microphone testimonials in which men and women in the audience shared their personal experiences or those of friends who had been victims of sexual crimes.
“The night is about taking ownership over what happened to you or a friend,” Pillai said. “Victims of rape, for example, feel something was taken from them. This experience is part of the healing process.”
ERC junior Shannon Soria, a member of the Women’s Commission, shared her own testimonial in last year’s event.
“It was the first time I told strangers,” Soria said. “It made me stronger and not ashamed of what happened to me. It made me more comfortable.”
All week long and during the night, the commission organized a table on Library Walk with such activities as the “Ring of Truth” where victims or people who knew victims could pin a white ribbon on a symbolic ring. Overall, the commission raised $700 for the Center of Community Solutions, a San Diego nonprofit organization that works on the treatment and prevention of sexual crimes.
CCS, along with other organizations, set up tables to help support the night and raise awareness.
“It’s amazing how safe a space this is to break the silence,” CCS sexual-assault victims advocate Vanessa Bramsburg said. “It’s such a taboo subject. But this opens up a dialogue for gender and race to all interconnect. It’s a good place to address all that.”
During the night, a clothesline displaying shirts made by UCSD students was strung out behind the speakers, each shirt symbolizing the voice of a woman in a sexual crime. The shirts were designed as a chance for women to “air out their dirty laundry” and tell their story as part of the healing process. Each color represented a different form of abuse.
Participants ended the night with a march around campus.
“We end with the march on a high, positive note with the feeling that I can do something,” Pillai said. “We are owning the night.”
The April 28 event boasted its best attendance since its inception, and the committee said it hopes for an even larger turnout next year.