Take Back the Night 2024

Ithaca’s Annual Take Back the Night March and Rally are back! This year’s TBTN will take place on April 26th, 2024 with marches from GIAC, Ithaca College, and Cornell, and a rally and candlelit vigil at the Bernie Milton Pavilion on the Ithaca Commons.

The roots of Take Back the Night can be traced back to at least 1877 when women protested the fear and violence they experienced in the night-time streets of London, England. A more recent historical Take Back the Night type of protest happened in1976 when women attending the International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women lit candles and took to the moonlit streets of Belgium to denounce the continuation of violence against women. 

The first U.S. based Take Back the Night events were held in the 1970’s in several cities including San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Ithaca, NY in 1979 to protest and call for an end to violence against women. Through decades of continued activism, Take Back the Night has expanded to embrace survivors of all gender identities and from all backgrounds. 

While the origins of Take Back the Night may be traced to numerous different times and locations, its impact is undeniable. Thousands of marches and rallies bearing the name Take Back the Night have taken place worldwide.

This year, in Ithaca, our Take Back the Night will be an evening of reclamation, empowerment, and celebration; we seek to empower and uplift survivors of domestic and sexual violence and prioritize underrepresented and marginalized survivors in their stories, their healing, and in our collective liberation. 

We look forward to marching with you!

March Details
Friday April 26th, 2024

March Locations and Information:

GIAC, 310 W Court St. Ithaca, NY 14850

Please gather outside of GIAC at 6:15pm.

Textor Hall, Ithaca College Campus

Please gather outside Textor Hall at 6pm. 

Ho Plaza, Cornell University Campus 

Please gather at Ho Plaza at 6pm. 

This is event brings together college and local communities to unite as one powerful voice. To accomplish this there are 3 marches: one from Cornell, one from Ithaca College, and one from downtown Ithaca, which all convene together on the Commons for the rally. Participants are encouraged to join any march where they feel community. Marchers are encouraged to make signs, bring banners or wear clothes that highlight groups and organizations standing in solidarity with survivors or with messages of protest against domestic and sexual violence.

​Rally Information

Friday, April 16th, 2024 – Bernie Milton Pavilion

Featuring Keynote Speaker: Jonel Beauvais and performances from Sol Alexandria and La Llorona. 

The Take Back the Night Rally will be held from 7pm-9pm, after all 3 marches arrive at the Bernie Milton Pavilion. This rally is a celebration and reclamation for all survivors, prioritizing and uplifting those historically underrepresented and marginalized in our communities. The heart of this rally are the Survivor Speak-Out sessions – attendees have a brief time to share their experience with and impacts of domestic and/or sexual violence as an opportunity for healing. More information regarding speak-out sessions soon…

About Jonel Beauvais 

Jonel Beauvais is a Wolf Clan, Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) woman who is the proud Mother of three children, a chosen Auntie and Sister to many. She is the Co-Creator of the Welcome Home Circle in Akwesasne, which is inspired by her own carceral experience and the undeniable need for representation and support for those directly and in-directly impacted by the criminal system, especially in Native Communities. She is actively working on their “Tiny Home Project”, which will give those transitioning back into community peer support and safe housing to ensure those coming home get the opportunity to demonstrate transformational justice. She works diligently to empower youth, address systemic oppression and educating People on the genocidal acts both US and CAN governments through “boarding schools”. Her vision is to heighten the healing within Native communities and to share the prosperity in Haudenosaunee teachings of good medicines and good minds. Her inspiration for community engagement was birthed in supporting the families of Ohero:kon, which she dedicated seven years as a council member and Lead Auntie for all first year Nieces entering the ceremony.

About Sol Alexandria

Sol is a storyteller of the earth whose work rises from meditations on diasporic ancestral traditions within community and body. As a multimedia artist & healing facilitator, they dedicate their energy to connecting the collective to body and land sovereignty through self actualization & community care practice. Sol is a word weaver who grounds their work in the radical understanding that the stories of our bodies and histories are the deepest wisdoms we hold. Through their work, they collaborate through carving out spaces for BIPOC, queer & trans community to thrive while accessing ancestral healing and rest practices to holistically tend to their body’s and spirit’s needs. Sol envisions a world in which Indigenous sovereignty and black & trans liberation is inevitable and we can all feel free to be ourselves, completely.

About La Llorona

La Llorona is a fusion of genres and cultures. It is violin and voice crying out together. It is
Ithaca forests meeting Mexican folklore. It is dreams and reality colliding. It is a unique
musical experience you don’t want to miss. An Ithaca local, Alejandra Diemecke of La Llorona weaves together loops and voice to create enchanting musical landscapes. La Llorona has played at many local venues and events including Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance and the Apple Harvest Festival. La Llorona released an EP called “Hedges”, which can be found on all streaming services.

Take Back the Night T-Shirts

This years Take Back the Night T-Shirt art was designed by Via Carpenter! We are very excited to share this design with the community and will have a variety of sizes available for purchase at the Take Back the Night Rally and at select events prior.

About the Artist and the Art

Via Carpenter is the founder and owner of Via’s Cookies, a business selling dietary inclusive cookies that donates a percentage of their profits to struggling BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students. She graduated in 2022 from Ithaca College and now works full time selling cookies, growing her influence, mentoring students from k-12 through college, teaching as a house fellow at Cornell University, guiding meditations, and as an artist. You can find her works all over Ithaca, which are characterized by their bright colors and bold lines. She draws inspiration from her life experiences, love of nature, and pursuit of justice.
She created this piece with the intention of spreading power through growth. When you plant the seeds of change and nourish them, you can grow a beautiful garden. She carefully chose each flower that bursts forth from the heart and body of the (nonbinary) individual. Phlox: Hope. Bleeding hearts: Love and sorrow. Sunflower: Positivity and joy. Rhododendron: Riches and prosperity. Narcissus: Prosperity and wealth. Gardenia: Love and refinement.

Volunteer Opportunities

Email tbtn@actompkins.org if you are interested in being a volunteer for this years Take Back the Night.