Take Back the Night Philly 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For MEDIA & INTERVIEW Requests:

Contact:  Susan Krisch at: 215.983.5882  or slkrisch@gmail.com

Andrea “Cookie” Noel at: 215.668.4286 or aunna42@gmail.com

April 7, 2025

Philly’s 15th Annual Take Back the Night begins organizing &

Planning for this year’s event

When:      Thursday April 24th, 2025 | Gathering outside the church at 6 pm

Where:      First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia – 2125 Chestnut Street.

What:      An action and speak out, raising awareness on and supporting survivors of sexual, interpersonal and domestic violence.  A place for survivors to be seen, heard, and listened to in a safer space which acknowledges the importance of breaking the silence, story sharing and connecting with community as a means of healing & regaining power.

Who:       The Take Back the Night Philly Coalition and organizing committee members.

See a list of our coalition members & our Mission Statement on our website: www.tbtnphilly.org

Event Details:

• Marchers will assemble at the intersection of 36th & Chestnut at 5:15 pm; march will begin at 5:45 pm.

• 6:15 – we will meet outside the First Unitarian church where we’ll join the rally and perform our “Bust the Myths” street action.

• The event will continue inside the church with a speak-out and story sharing of survivors & support people “Breaking the Silence” about their experiences with various types of violence from 6:45 pm – 10:15 pm.

• There will be performances throughout the night of singing, body movement and music.

• We will end with a candlelight vigil at 10:15 pm in remembrance of those killed by & still surviving relationships with domestic, interpersonal and sexual violence.

Tables & resources for survivors will be set up by supporting organizations in our coalition.

Background:      This incarnation of Take Back the Night was started in 2011 by staff and clients of an outpatient rehabilitation services clinic in South Philly. All members of the original organizing committee identified as survivors of violence as well as people in recovery from substance dependence.  Some of our mission goals and commitments include creating access to survivor resources and actions which extend beyond the reach of most college & university campus events. It is important to us that this is a diverse, survivor- led event that supports access to healing and changing the narrative of our society’s victim blaming culture.  We use various mediums of expression to reduce the stigma of talking about violence and being a survivor of violence including art, writing, dancing, testimonials/story sharing and resource access.

We want all survivors and their supports to know:

‘You are not alone’, ‘It was not your fault’, & ‘Community care is Survival’

Why it’s so important to get involved:

• 8 out of 10 sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim (www.rainn.org)

• At least 1 in 10 men have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner. (ww.ndvh.org).

• At least 1 in 6 women have been a victim of sexual assault (www.rainn.org)

• Since so few refugee and immigrant women report sexual assault to authorities, we estimate that this number is significantly higher [than the general population] (www.wcsap.org/refugee-and-immigrant-community)

• 64% of all transgender individuals experience sexual violence in their lifetimes (www.nclrights.org)

• Two-thirds of women in the military who report sexual assault, experience retaliation after reporting (Dept of Def – SAPRO Reports)

• Nationally, 30%-60% of intimate partner violence perpetrators also abuse their children. (The Center for Violence Free Relationships)

• 54% of transgender and nonbinary people experience intimate partner violence in their lifetimes.(2015 USA Transgender Survey).

• At least 32 transgender and gender non-conforming people are victims of fatal violence each year.  [HRC] estimates that the violent killing rate for Black transgender women is five times that of the general population”. (Human Rights Coalition).

• 81% of women and 35% of men who experienced rape, stalking, or physical violence by an intimate partner reported significant short- or long-term impact such as post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and injury. (UNICEF)

• Anticipated budget cuts to support programs that help victims of domestic violence could result in over 526,000 people not receiving the services they need to free themselves from a violent intimate partner. (DV Resource Center)

• More than 60% of crimes reported on Tribal Nations land are sexual assault cases.  As of 2018 there were over 6,000 incidents of missing and murdered Native American women. (NCIC)

• 33% of adolescents in the United States have been the victim of domestic violence from a dating partner, making it the most common type of youth violence. (Love is Respect)

This is an Epidemic.    We can do better, together.    We can heal, together.

Ways to get involved:

1. Make a donation. We need materials such as candles, signs/posters, tshirts for participants who can’t afford them, etc.  All left over donations will go directly to our coalition to support the work of TBTN and efforts throughout the city which support survivors of various violence.

2. Promote any and all forms of social media and information found below.

3. Come out to any or all parts of our event on the day of.

Email:  phillytbtn@gmail.com       Instagram: @tbtnphilly                  Website: www.tbtnphilly.org

Support us by donating here:

https://gofund.me/d0a1fc2a