Kazzandra Vazquez, a fifth year University of Idaho student joined her sorority sisters to lead the march at Take Back the Night.
Vazquez is president of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc., the sorority which helps organize the march every year. Vazquez said the women of Lambda Theta Alpha have made posters, invited people and lead the march.
“It’s kind of an honor because it’s my face out there, leading all these people with the same message with our mission to stopping interpersonal violence,” Vazquez said.
The members of Lambda Theta Alpha have been participating since about 2006, Vazquez said.
Vazquez said the women of Lambda Theta Alpha first just participated and got more involved when Lysa Salsbury, director of the Women’s Center became an advisor for the sorority.
Ever since Salsbury became their advisor, they have been helping organize the march.
For Vazquez, this is her second time leading the march through campus.
“It’s scary. You’re leading it, it’s cold and you don’t want to mess it up because for some reason, marching becomes ten times harder in that moment, and hearing the alarm, it puts it’s into perspective,” Vazquez said.
It’s a tradition for the members and they look forward to helping every year.
Vazquez said they are doing Take Back the Night for a good reason, but it’s unfortunate they must.
Before the march, students and community members gathered to hear from Logan Clancy, a graduate student who said there were many resources at the university for people who faced interpersonal violence.
“I just want you to know that you can leave. You can get out, it may be really hard at first, but you will thank yourself later,” Clancy said.
The march started at the Agricultural Science building and passed by the bench memorializing Katy Benoit, a UI graduate student who was murdered seven years ago. Marchers stopped at the bench which organizers of Take Back the Night had covered in electric candles.
A child stands near the bench dedicated to Katy Benoit. Lindsay Trombly l Argonaut
The marchers then wove through campus with their silence broken by the blow of a whistle every two minutes, which organizers said signifies how often a person is sexually assaulted in the United States.
“For friends and allies of victims of domestic violence, please just listen to their story. Let them know that you believe them, their story. Sometimes they just want a hug, comfort or for somebody to listen,” Clancy said.
The march ended back at the Agricultural Science building where there was a confidential speak out for students to attend.
Take Back the Night has been an on-campus event for over a decade said Bekah MillerMacPhee, OVW project director for the center. She said the Women’s Center has been putting the event on for at least the last 10 years, but it had been put on by a student group before then.
Kali Nelson can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @kalinelson6