CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Friday, April 22, 1994
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Women unite to protest violence
Amy Solt / KANSAN
Victims of rape, abuse share survival stories
Women march down Massachusetts Street during the seventh Womyn Take Back the Night March and Rally. About 200 women and men were present yesterday to advocate the end of violence against women.
By Denise Nell
Kansan staff writer
The crowd of about 200 men and women cheered as one woman told them the first and last names of two boys who had raped her.
"I was raped when I was 11 years old," was all the woman managed to say before she stopped and cried. But after a few minutes, she was able to finish the story.
The woman, who spoke at the opening of the seventh annual Womyn Take Back the Night March and Rally, was one of many women who shared their stories of survival after violent acts. The march, which was a protest of violence against women and children and celebration of survivors of violence, began at 7 last night in South Park.
Other women read poetry and sang songs. The women in the group then formed a line and walked about five blocks to Buford M. Watson Park in silence.
Once in the park, the women formed a circle and lit candles. They listened as some women, who spoke anonymously, told personal stories of abuse. Women who had been victims of sexual abuse by relatives, friends and boyfriends spoke about how they had survived.
After about an hour, the survivors of violent acts were asked to step into the middle of the circle. More than half the women, crying and hugging each other, stepped in.
The women, led by police escorts, then marched down the southbound lane of Massachusetts Street, carrying protest signs and chanting phrases such as "Whatever I wear, wherever I go, yes means yes, and no means no."
People came out of stores and restaurants along Massachusetts Street to watch the
women as they marched back to South Park. Many cheered in support or honked from their cars.
At South Park, about 20 men who had been waiting for the women listened as march organizers read a list of demands. The women called for an end to sexual harassment, violence and child abuse. They demanded that the Lawrence police protect the survivors of violent crimes.
Connie Burk, a facilitator of Students Against Violence Against Womyn, the
group that organized the event, said she thought more women had been helped last night than ever before.
"We had more people speak at the circle," she said. "I think that's a testament to the safe space created there. Every year, we find more and more people who feel like they can speak."
Lynne Beatty, Murray, Ky., graduate student, said that her first experience with the march had been a positive one.
"It felt good," she said. "It felt powerful.
It's helpful for women to know that they're not alone. Survivors often grow up feeling that they have to be scared. This is a way of seeing that they no longer have to be outcasts or misfits."
Kelley Brown. Lawrence resident, said she thought the march was an effective form of protesting against violence.
"I thought it was very empowering, very beautiful," she said. "I came to support women, to support myself and to support the belief that this can end."
Men gather in South Park to support women's march
By Kevin Hoffmann
Kansan staff writer
David Ady understands the fear women have of violent attacks. He's married to the survivor of one.
So when about 200 people converged on South Park for the seventh Womyn Take Back the Night March and Rally, Ady felt the need to participate.
"My wife is a survivor," Ady told a group of 20 men at the park, who discussed their concerns about the violence against women. "If we leave this problem up to the
women, it's going to stay a women's issue. By having men here, it becomes a human issue."
While the women marched in protest of violence, the men stayed at the park, as they had for several years in the past. There, Ady's remarks were echoed by many who thought that men needed to be more aware of the fear that surrounded women.
"One goal of why we're here is just trying to get more and more men to understand the problem," said Jason Anderson, a Lawrence resident who stepped up to lead
the discussion.
Other men at the discussion simply wanted to better understand the concerns of women.
"Ijust wanted to broaden my understanding," said Mike Follmer, Lawrence senior. "You never get together with the guys and sav'H. hew. how do we oppress women?"
Leslie Jones, Miami graduate student, said such discussions were valuable for men.
"It takes men so much longer to talk about these things," he said.
As the men ended their discussion, many
"There's not a lot of us here, so we have to take this one step at the time," he said. "But, if we can change the way we talk about women to our male friends, it will help."
urged action to help change the ill-treatment of women. Anderson said he hoped men would stop seeing women as objects of their desires.
Titus Motau. Johannesburg, South Africa,
graduate student, enjoyed the discussion.
"It is enlightening to me that we, as men, are sitting here discussing this," he said. "Maybe it will help to solve this quicker."
CAMPUS BRIEFS
KU student reports rape; no arrests made yet, police say
A female KU student reported to the Lawrence police that she had been raped and sodomized by an acquaintance on Feb. 12.
The suspect is described as a 21-year-old male.
The student told police that she had attended a party with the suspect. After leaving the party, she accompanied the suspect to his apartment, where the attack occurred.
Sgt. Richard Nickell of the Lawrence police said that police had talked to the suspect but that he had not been arrested.
African Americans meet for legislative caucus
Gov. Joan Finney, gubernatorial candidates and Kansas' six African-American legislators will be among those attending the African-American Legislative Caucus from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow at the Kansas Union.
The event, which is held each year at a different university in Kansas, will include workshops and a luncheon featuring Judge Cordell Meeks Jr., an African-American judge from Kansas City, Kan.
The event will provide an opportunity for students and the community to meet with government officials, said state representative Barbara Ballard, organizer of the event.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. Tickets are $7 for students and senior citizens and $10 for the general public.
Festival to introduce cultures to KU students
The International Students Association will host its 42nd annual Festival of Nations all day today.
The festival will begin at 9 a.m. with the "World Expo" in front of Stauffer Flint Hall, where representatives from 25 nations will provide information about their cultures.
At 7:30 p.m. in Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union, 14 different groups will take part in a cultural show. The show will include traditional songs and dances. Admission is free.
After the show, the group is hosting a party at 307 W. 23rd St. Anyone can attend the party, where two round-trip tickets to Costa Rica will be given away. Admission is $4.
Compiled from Kansan staff reports.
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