on october 23rd amnesty international members in nashville participated in the annual take back the night rally and march as part of local activists commitment to the international stop violence against women campaign...in particular a shout out goes to amnesty international members jennifer kinsey, diba enayat, and becky owens for giving their time and energy to advance preparations and representing aiusa in the event...diba is tennessee's stop violence aganst women campaign coordinator...
here's diba's summary of the events that night - photos from the night can be viewed here ... if you're not an amnesty member become one today!!!
peace out <3
Amnesty International had a table set up and there was a pretty good turnout so a lot of people stopped by our table and took information. Then they had a speaker, Byron Hurt, the director of "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes." He spoke about the role that men have in stopping violence against women. After his speech, we marched from the Olin field, where we were, to the Centennial Park pavilion they had designated. As we marched, we yelled chants promoting stopping violence against women. When we reached the pavilion, there was an open mic. This was probably the most powerful part of the night. Some incredibly brave women stood up and told very personal stories about their experiences with sexual violence. It was incredible to see such a range of women from different backgrounds come together for one cause--they ranged from former prostitutes to students.
Surrounding the pavilion and also the olin feild was a clothesline with a t-shirt hanging for every woman who has lost her life to domestic violence. It was a pretty powerful visual image. Overall, I think the march went well--it really does play a role in healing for those women who have survived gender-based violence by showing them that they are not alone and really helps men understand the impact that gender based violence has on women and how we can all come together for this cause.
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