For Immediate Release

Date: March 29, 2006 

BLOOMSBURG— Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania will host Take Back the Night on Tuesday, April 11, at 8 p.m. in the Kehr Union Multipurpose Room A and B. Take Back the Night is an annual event dedicated to raising awareness of sexual assault and violence against women. Members of the community are invited to attend. 

A professional theatre group, Equalogy, will present the play “One Night,” which portrays sexual assault in a college context. After the presentation, the actors will stay in character to answer questions from the audience. Due to the nature of the program, counselors will be available to help audience members deal with emotional issues. After the play, those attending will take part in an on-campus candlelight vigil.

Also planned for BU is the Clothesline Project, a display of T-shirts with messages denouncing sexual assault. The shirts will be displayed on the lawn in front of the Warren Student Services Center from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day from April 6 to 11. T-shirts can be designed from April 3 to 11 in the Women’s Resource Center, Schuylkill Hall. Shirts, markers and paint will be provided.

Take Back the Night is an international event which originated in Europe more three decades ago. The program made its way to the United States in 1978 during a protest in San Francisco. Today, common components of Take Back the Night rallies include candlelight vigils, empowerment marches and survivor testimonials.

The Clothesline Project was started in Hyannis, Mass., in fall 1990 to call attention to violence against women. It is a vehicle for those who have been affected by violence to express their emotions by designing a shirt. The project focuses on providing healing for survivors of violence, educating the public and providing solutions through individual action and has been adopted by communities nationwide.

For more information about the local event, call Deb Barnes of BU’s Women’s Resource Center at (570) 389-5283. Information on Take Back the Night and the Clothesline Project may be found at www.takebackthenight.org and www.clotheslineproject.org.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students and offers 65 bachelor’s, 18 master’s and one doctoral degree.

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