Our local TBTN event joins people from three college campuses, local high schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities throughout Ithaca and Tompkins County. We gather as survivors, supporters, allies, and agents of change. Together, we bear witness to harms that have been done and hold hope for a future without sexual and relationship violence.
March to the Ithaca Commons with friends, family, teammates, coworkers, and neighbors. We welcome signs, banners and/or clothes that highlight groups who choose to act in solidarity with survivors and speak against domestic and sexual violence. We will teach you some march chants; teach us your favorites.
- Ithaca College March: leaves Textor Ball at 6:15pm
- Cornell University March: leaves Ho Plaza at 6:30pm
- Community March: leaves from GIAC lawn (Greater Ithaca Activities Center, 301 West Court St, Ithaca) on the corner of West Court and North Albany at 6:40pm
Rally at the Bernie Milton Pavilion on the Commons from 7-9pm. Guest speakers, music and candlelight vigil. Join us between 6:30 and 7pm to welcome marchers as they arrive.
Please come back to this page and follow us on @advocacyTC on Instagram/Facebook for updates! For parking and transportation information, click here.
Support Ithaca’s annual Take Back the Night with your purchase of a 2025 TBTN tote bag!
Buy online now to pick up at the rally on Friday!
Can’t be at the rally? Have your 2025 TBTN Tote delivered! Or, pick it up at Sunny Days of Ithaca on the Commons. Click here to purchase through the Sunny Days site.
Thank you to Red Jacket Orchards and Sunny Days for partnering with us to offer these beautiful totes as a TBTN fundraiser.
2025 Keynote Speaker and Emcee: Angelina Blasich
Angelina shares her excitement about being part of Take Back the Night 2025, saying: “My artistic body of work celebrates that which is often dismissed as silly, unworthy, or ridiculous. I offer myself space to ridiculate my life, my stage, my job, my art, my fears and my anxieties in all sorts of ways each day because though life can be brutal, there is joy to be experienced. Each moment of shared joy is fuel for forward movement. I offer others space to ridiculate because there is communal resilience in laughter; in sharing these spaces I am reminded to access them myself. In times filled with fear and hatred, sharing joy and love on purpose is a radical act. Together, dear beautiful darlings, we just might save the world a little.”
Angelina Blasich is an award winning visual and performance artist, public speaker, producer, educator, workshop facilitator, therapist, celebrant, designer, overachiever, and one bad ass comic emcee. The past few years have offered her the honor of sharing artwork in museums and galleries in the US, Mexico, and Chile; launching an artwear clothing line, Art You Gorgeous (www.artyougorgeous.com) (fashion featuring designs derived from Angelina’s artwork), and was invited to record a TEDx talk, “Ridiculous on Purpose”, in Provincetown, MA which was translated into 6 languages. Angelina is the Co-founder of Purposefully Ridiculous (www.purposefullyridiculous.org), a joy-centered public access art project that has organically engaged thousands across the east coast by creating and fostering spaces for shared silliness and expression.
As Chief Ridiculator and Facilitator of the Ridiculum Curriculum, Angelina gets to live out her lifelong mission to foster freedom and encourage creative expression. Happiest on stage as a Comic Emcee, Communicatrix, and Mistress of Mischief, Ceremony, and Celebration, Angelina has been spotted holding safe and sexy space while celebrating bodily autonomy at Pride/Queer Joy events and Burlesque stages across NYS. Angelina invites you to embrace this and every opportunity to play, art, and dance for dear life.
Other speakers will include
Grace Elmore is a senior at Cornell studying English and Religious Studies. Since 2023, she has written a biweekly sex and intimacy education column, Let’s Talk About Sex, which publishes on Thursdays in the Cornell Daily Sun. Outside of her writing, Grace is an artist and avid nature bum who can often be found reading or swimming at East Shore Park or First Dam. She is honored to be speaking at this year’s Take Back the Night and can’t wait to be surrounded by so many strong and empowered Ithacans.
2025 TBTN Featured Artist: Yen Ospina
Yen Ospina is a Colombian-American self-taught artist who blends traditional and digital mediums to create works rich in storytelling and cultural resonance. Drawing inspiration from folklore, etching, and lithographs, Yen’s digital pieces offer a unique twist—each one layered with narratives that inspire her. Her signature style incorporates saturated earth tones, making her work instantly recognizable and deeply rooted in a vibrant cultural identity.
In her traditional abstract paintings, Yen shifts focus inward, using the medium to express personal emotions and introspection, contrasting the storytelling nature of her digital work. This duality allows her to explore both the external world of culture and mythology and the internal world of emotion and self-reflection.
In addition to her studio work, Yen is an accomplished muralist, having painted over seven murals throughout the Ithaca area. Beyond her artistic practice, Yen is dedicated to uplifting marginalized voices. Through her nomadic Orozco Gallery, she curates exhibitions that center BIPOC artists, providing a platform for emerging talent. As the newly appointed president of the Latino Civic Association, Yen is passionate about creating community events that support and celebrate the Hispanic/Latine community in Tompkins County.
Yen’s artistic journey began in 2013 with traditional painting, and by 2020 she had taught herself digital art. In January 2022, Yen made the bold leap to become a full-time artist, fully embracing the life of creative exploration, community-building, and cultural storytelling. View Yen’s portfolio here.
Thank you to Red Jacket Orchards for sponsoring Take Back the Night!
The family-owned orchard and business generously donated funds to support Take Back the Night in 2024 and 2025. We truly appreciate the contributions of this fantastic local organization.
History of Take Back the Night
Some people trace the roots of Take Back the Night back to 1877 when women protested the fear and violence they experienced in the night-time streets of London, England.
Familiar phrases like “Reclaim the Night” and “Take Back the Night” are know to have been used during to several uprisings and protests in the U.S. and Europe in the 1970s. In 1976, 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 several cities including San Francisco and Philadelphia. Ithaca, New York’s first Take Back the Night was in 1979!
These initial Take Back the Night events called for an end to violence against women specifically. Through decades of continued activism, Take Back the Night events have expanded to embrace survivors of all gender identities and from all backgrounds and call for an end to all forms of sexual and domestic/relationship abuse.
While the origins of Take Back the Night may be varied across time and place, its impact is undeniable. Since its inception, thousands of marches and rallies bearing the name Take Back the Night have taken place worldwide. Thousands of survivors, supporters, and allies have gathered to grieve, protest, honor survivors, and call for us to do better as communities and globally.