Linfield held its fourth annual Take Back the Night rally and march to support survivors of sexual violence as a part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The event was hosted on Thursday by Kara Kepple, Coordinator of Student Health and Wellness Programs at Linfield.

Take Back the Night is an international event that started in Europe in the 1970s. The idea behind it is that women should be able to walk around at night without fear of being harassed.

Students marched through campus holding signs that said “take back the night,” “you are not alone,” “cats against catcalling,” and other positive messages.

It might seem like sexual assault is not an issue at a campus as small as Linfield, but it is important to understand that it can happen anywhere and needs to be discussed.

Students received slips of paper with sexual assault statistics, showing that it happens more often that most people think.

“It’s something we don’t like to talk about, but it’s never going to end if we don’t talk about it,” Kepple said.

“We want our community to be safe,” Kepple said. She said students need to support one another and look out for each other at night so everyone can stay safe.

Esther Parker, ’19, said Take Back the Night is “a really cool event to raise awareness about an issue that needs to be heard.”

Kepple said last year about 70 people participated, and the turnout for the event this year seemed much bigger.

“Everyone has the right to be safe,” said Parker.