The speaker, Joyce Wilson, is an intake triage specialist at the Domestic Violence Intake Center in Louisville. She has worked since 1971 on such legislation as Kentucky’s Rape Shield Law and the Marital Rape Bill; created the award-winning child safety program My Body Belongs to Me and the video I’m Not Your Plaything; and helped implement the Sexual Assault Response Team in Jefferson County. She serves as a domestic violence court advocate and is a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse, Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence.
Take Back the Night is free and open to the public. It will be Sept. 28, 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. outside of the Red Barn on Belknap Campus. The event is offered by the UofL’s Prevention, Education and Advocacy on Campus and in the Community (PEACC), which provides support to students, staff and faculty who are affected by dating or domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and harassment.
This year’s event theme is Women Count for Peace. Participants will be asked to “Think Globally, Act Locally,” using local resources to have a global impact on peacemaking and preventing violence.
Besides Wilson’s keynote address, speakers will include University Provost Shirley Willihnganz; Karina Barillas, of the Latina Women’s Movement; Ben Donlon, of Men of PEACC; Khristina Greenwell, of the Rescue and Restore Program; and Melanie Jo Brison, Miss University of Louisville.
The program also will have a Speak Out Session — a candlelight vigil and march around Belknap Campus — and performances by student band Silo and the Mbira Queens.
Several activities are scheduled in the week leading up to Take Back the Night. They include:
The Pinwheel Project — participants are asked to place a pinwheel on UofL’s West Lawn (by the Red Barn) in recognition of victims of violence
Kentucky Green Dot Campaign — Men of PEACC organize and gather signatures from people and organizations pledging to end violence against women
In addition to PEACC, Take Back the Night sponsors are Louisville Metro Office for Women; MensWork; Class Act Federal Credit Union; Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research; Office for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Services; UofL Commission on the Status of Women; Family Scholar House; Women’s Center; The Center for Women and Families; and other campus and community groups.
