Media.www.DailyTexanOnline.com – By Caroline Page
In a soft, scratchy voice, Austin writer Carole Metellus repeated the phrase “women rise” as a prelude to her poetry reading at the Take Back the Night event on campus Wednesday night.
Take Back the Night is an international event in its fifth year at UT. Activist groups on campus, along with support from the UT Counseling and Mental Health Center, put on the program to educate people and take a stand against violence, specifically sexual acts of violence toward women.
The night included speeches from community members, poetry readings, a candlelight vigil and an open forum.
“The goal for tonight is to create a space for survivors of sexual assault and sexual violence in general to be able to speak out about what happened to them, be heard by a community of supportive allies and for us to be empowered and informed in that process,” said Sean Tate, a former UT student and Texas Council on Family Violence prevention specialist.