March 6, 2017
17-59

Jessica Pope
Communications and Media Relations Coordinator

VSU Hosts Take Back the Night Short Film Challenge

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University invites all currently enrolled students, regardless of their major area of study, to participate in the Take Back the Night Short Film Challenge.

Students are encouraged to submit a 10- to 15-minute short film about sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse, or a related topic. Submissions will be accepted at https://www.valdosta.edu/student/student-services/counseling-center/tbtn-video-submission.php through 5 p.m. on Friday, March 24.

The winning film will receive $250 and be featured at the annual Take Back the Night event from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4, in the Student Union Ballroom.

Take Back the Night’s history dates back at least half a century, to a time when women from many European countries gathered as a tribunal council to discuss safety when walking down public streets. The movement found its way to the United States in the 1970s, again emerging from a desire to make the streets a safe place at night. In 1973 protesters spoke out against pornography in San Francisco, Calif., and the murdering of women of color in Los Angeles, Calif., according to the Take Back the Night Foundation. Two years later, a march was held in Philadelphia, Pa., after the murder of Susan Alexander Speeth, a microbiologist who was stabbed to death while walking home alone.

Today, Take Back the Night focuses on ending sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse, and all other forms of sexual violence. While some events are women-only, many others, such as the event at VSU, include men as victims, bystanders, and supporters.

VSU’s Take Back the Night events are sponsored by the Counseling Center, Housing and Residence Life, Campus Recreation, and The Haven, a nonprofit organization that provides 24-hour emergency temporary shelter and services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in nine South Georgia counties.

Visit http://www.valdosta.edu/student/student-services/counseling-center/take-back-the-night.php to learn more.

Newsroom