I am a rape survivor. Unfortunately, on Friday night, I found a place where this identity belonged. Unfortunately, people understood the emotions I spoke of. Unfortunately, most were college students just like I am. Unfortunate because they are survivors too: of rape, sexual abuse, and of a patriarchal society where their worth is constantly scrutinized through the eyes of men. Fortunately, though, we gathered because we refuse to live in fear any longer. We refuse to be afraid to walk on the streets in and around this campus after dark, and we refuse to be silent. On that night, we chose to be survivors and in doing so, refused to be victims.

For me, the annual Take Back the Night march and rally was an emotional roller coaster of anger, sadness and hopeful joy. I was given the forum I have long been seeking, to speak publicly about my rape. I relayed my anger and determination to a crowd that has felt it all before. Although it was comforting to know I am not alone, it was extremely painful to realize these are the women who sat next to me in classes. These are the women who did not deserve to live in these conditions any more so than I do. These are the women who were fighting silently (and some loudly) for the same things I was, with neither of us knowing the other's battle was one so painfully familiar. But as we sat in the candlelight in a large circle, all of these things vanished. We were no longer individuals, but a strong and forceful group of women who found strength in each other. We reminded ourselves that we can overcome the oppressiveness of our world, if we go at it together. There was a great love of womanhood that danced around our group all evening.

The night started out with a rally in Kogan Plaza. Here women read statistics about rape, sexual abuse and other forms of violence against women. Songs were heard from an extraordinary female guitarist and vocalist and were interspersed poetry readings. There was a demonstration by one of the UPD officers trained in rape defense strategies. She showed us a few ways to defend ourselves, introduced the RAD self-defense program and gave us tips on keeping safe on the DC streets and in other situations. Then we were given a chance to speak about our stories, read our own poetry or just say whatever we wanted to say in an open mic session. It was such a great forum for women to speak out and to break the chains of silence that usually hold us captive.

After the march, we held a candlelight vigil where women shared more stories and told each other what we were going to take out of the night and the experience and how we were feeling.

Overall, the night was a tremendous success for women on the campus of GW. Women had a rare opportunity to speak up and protest the injustices that occur in and around the campus. We have the right to be on the streets and feel safe, no matter what time of night it is. We have the right to not fear for our lives and our bodies when we're walking to the library at night, and we have the right to walk without being insulted and embarrassed by men shouting out their "appreciation" of our bodies. We don't have to walk with our heads down anymore. And besides, it's hard to see where you're going if you're looking at your feet.