TRIGGER WARNING: The contents of this email may be disturbing to survivors of rape, sexual assault and other forms of violence.
Dear Loyola Community,
One of our foundational values is cura personalis, or care and education of the whole person: mind, body and spirit. Caring for each other demands that we take a stand against all forms of gender-based violence, including sexual assault, domestic abuse, and gender hate crimes. More than 30 years ago, the city’s annual Take Back the Night vigil started here on this campus, as a way of providing a voice for the vulnerable and the voiceless.
We still have much work to do, so I invite you to join me tomorrow for a candlelight vigil and march at 6:30 p.m. as we stand in solidarity to “take back the night.”
A significant number of the members of our community, according to research and our lived experience, are survivors of some form of abuse or violence, whether that took place in childhood, in college, in the workplace or all of the above, whether it happened years ago or recently. And the crisis is global.
At the local level, we are blessed by Dr. Patricia Boyett, director of the Women’s Resource Center, and the organizing committee for the work that they have done in planning the program for Tuesday and their ongoing work in support of raising awareness and working toward prevention of violence of all kinds.
Let us join together Tuesday to take a stand, to ask for guidance, and to recommit ourselves to greater solidarity in pursuit of a more just and humane world.
With great gratitude and hope,
Fr. Justin Daffron, S.J.
Interim President
