Bethlehem, Pa., April 7, 2016— Moravian College will hold a "Take Back the Night" march and rally against all forms of violence on Tuesday, April 12. The march will begin outside the H.I.L.L. on the College's Hurd Campus (South) at 6:00 p.m. Survivors, supporters and members of the community will march the “Moravian Mile” up Main Street to Johnston Hall on the College's Main Street Campus where the rally will be held. Award-winning spoken word artist Kyla Jenee Lacey will lead the program for the evening.
Take Back the Night began at Moravian College 6 years ago when two first year students, Kate Cohen and Melissa Walters, had to create an activism project for a leadership seminar. The students connected with Dr. Stacey Zaremba and worked collaboratively with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) affiliate group to plan the first Take Back the Night. The night consists of a peaceful march and rally in protest against violence. The program began as an initiative to empower victims of domestic abuse to "take back the night" from their attackers. Moravian College has extended this program to include all forms of violence within the community, including violence against minorities, the LGBTQ community, violence in schools, domestic violence and all other forms of violence.
The rally will consist of many different speakers from within the Moravian College community and the outside community. After the rally, AAUW will facilitate a silent vigil in honor of those who have died from violence or are still suffering. The hope is to foster awareness, cultivate empowerment, and inspire action to unite against the night.
“AAUW is sponsoring Take Back the Night because the event is consistent with its mission,” said Shannon Strohl, President of AAUW. The organization is dedicated to equity for women and girls who are frequently the victims of violence. While AAUW is the organizing group for this event many other organizations join forces with us to make this event powerful and meaningful.”
Kyla Jenee Lacey has performed at colleges and venues in almost 20 states. She’s won and been nominated for numerous awards including, but not limited to, APCA’s Poet of the Year and Campus Activities Magazine’s Best Female Artist and was also a finalist in the largest regional poetry slam in the country in 2012. She is an avid animal lover, environmental enthusiast and artist.
She has facilitated poetry workshops for college and high school age students and enjoys giving back to the community. Her poetry is based off of her real life experiences and she enjoys telling her story of triumphing over tragedy. She likes short walks on the beach and is an aspiring cat lady. When telling her story, Kyla has the ability to make you laugh about even some of the roughest times in life. Her CD entitled “Away With Words” released in Dec. 2010, and second CD “Lady Brings the Blues” released in March 0f 2012. Kyla has found her niche in the male dominated world of spoken word by speaking as one of the few voices of women. She will make you laugh, cry and feel utterly inspired.
Moravian College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. Anyone who anticipates needing any type of accommodation or who has questions about the physical access provided should contact Stacey Zaremba at zarembas@moravian.edu prior to visiting Moravian.
Moravian College is a private coeducational liberal arts college, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. For over 274 years, the Moravian College degree has been based on a liberal arts curriculum where literature, history, cultural values and global issues, ethics, and aesthetic expression and the social sciences are infused with multidisciplinary perspectives. Visit www.moravian.edu to learn more about how the Moravian College liberal arts curriculum prepares its students for life-long success.