Take Back the Night
Take Back the Night is an international survivor solidarity event, with roots in San Luis Obispo since the 1980s. With a focus on uplifting survivors and empowering community, the event will feature live music, catered food, art installations, local vendor and resource fairs, speakers, a solidarity march, and end with a candlelight vigil. Take Back the Night will be hosted in the University Union Plaza on Cal Poly’s campus from 5:30-8:00 p.m.
Daytime Symposium
- 8:00 - 9:00am | Kick-Off Breakfast (Chumash right-wing): Join us for a morning of community and empowerment at the Take Back the Night Symposium Breakfast Reception! Enjoy bagels, coffee, meaningful conversation, and letter writing as we unite to support survivors.
- 9:10 - 10:00am | We're Aware: Moving from Awareness to Prevention by Jennifer MacMartin (53-215): Preventing violence takes more than listing statistics and trauma-dumping - it takes community mobilization, behavioral interventions, structural and systems change, and restorative justice. Learn more about the tools and techniques to address the root cause of sexual violence, and build a safer future together.
- 10:10 - 11:00am | Transformative Justice 101 by Dr. Alexia Arani (53-215): This interactive lecture will equip participants with the frameworks, resources, and tools to prevent and intervene in violence without reliance on systems of policing and incarceration.
- 11:10 - 12:00pm | Student Research Fair by Cal Poly Students (180-102): This session will highlight Cal Poly students who have conducted research projects related to Safer’s themes of violence prevention and advocacy. Join us to support our students' impactful work and contribute to meaningful discussions on building safer communities!
- 12:10 - 1:00pm | Lunch break: Enjoy free Subway wraps in the UU Plaza!
- 1:10 - 2:00pm | FSL for a Safer Campus (26-103B): Over the past several years, the Fraternity & Sorority Life Office and the Safer Office have partnered to educate the FSL community on the issues of gender & power-based violence. What started as quarterly workshops have now grown into required Violence Prevention Chairs, new policies written, and monthly co-council dialogues with more intentional education for each student in fraternity & sorority life.
- 2:10 - 3:00pm | Performative Activism by Dr. Christina Kaviani (180-107): Performative Activism would focus on why so many people pretend to care about oppressions such as sexism, racism, and gender-based violence but don't actually do anything in their everyday life to change harmful ideas and notions.
Nighttime Celebration - UU Plaza
- 5:30 - 5:45 | Event starts, welcome & land acknowledgement
- 5:45 - 6:15 | Speakers: City Council Member, Safer Violence Prevention Specialist, Lumina Alliance, Native American & Indigenous Cultural Center
- 6:30 - 7:00 | Musical performance, resource fair, food, survivor wellness activities
- 7:00 - 7:30 | Solidarity March
- 7:30 - 8:00 | Candlelight Vigil, Closing
Sponsors
Thank you so much to our incredible sponsors, who are making Take Back the Night possible!
- Associated Students, Inc. (ASI)
- Career Services Diversity Funding Committee
