Quick run through: Tonight is Ann Arbor's Take Back the Night Rally and March. TBTN is an organization that celebrates the survivors of sexual assault, 'cause they're BAs (that's right, they all have bachelor degrees) and 'cause sexual assault is obviously not something that has gone away. And this year at the rally and march, there will be singing and dancing and slam poetry and they will form a family band and they will sing ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN.
The whole shabang is free, and starts in the Union at 7 pm in the Rogel Ballroom. Gregg Milligan is the main speaker, and everyone's getting a new CAAAAAA-aarrrrrrrrr! Sorry, I had to - Mistah Milligan was on Oprah a couple 'o times, which is exactly a couple more times than I have been on Oprah. He wrote two books about the abuse he endured, and will be here Thursday to talk a bit about breaking the cycle that abused folks often find themselves in - going from being the abused to the abuser.
One thing that will be featured for the first time is a Men's Pledge. Many TBTN-supporters, and y'know, people in general have called for men to be included in general. Men are survivors also, as well as 95 percent of the perpetrators, so the idea is that this shiz isn't going to be eradicated if they don't get the memo, amirite?
Also: Amy Baumann is singing! Amy Baumann is singing! As the founder of the Amy Baumann Fan Club (yes really), I'm pretty excited that. She's my BFF, and we grew up in Traverse City together. She's finally come back to The Homeland (aka the Midwest) after living in NYC for the greater part of a decade, so I'm super happy she's back to perform in our neck of the woods.
Ber-Henda Williams is our emcee, and UMich tap group Rhythm will also be performing. After all the funsies, we take to the streets to protest the fact that people can be d-bags and rape people, or be unsupportive of those that have been assaulted, or be rape apologists (news reactions to the Steubenville situation, anyone?) or promote rape culture. It's pretty great.
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