On October 19, 2023, the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) of Northeastern New York hosted its yearly “Take Back the Night” walk to raise awareness about domestic violence. The YWCA chapter is located 0.5 miles away from campus, and students from Union Pride, Women’s Union, A More Equitable Union (AMEU), and other organizations came out to support the walk.
The walk began with several Schenectady area and state leaders sharing their personal experiences with domestic violence. Then, hundreds of attendees marched around the streets of Schenectady to show their support for ending domestic violence and supporting victims.
“I’ve been with the YWCA for 22 years in many different roles. Take back the night is one of the events that we do every year, and have done every year for 35 years,” Kim Siciliano, the CEO of the YWCA Northeastern New York, said. “I’m doing this march which allows us to see different people coming together to light up the night, and hope that our city streets can be safe for everybody.”
According to Siciliano, the goal of this march is that “No matter who’s walking, you can walk down our city streets and know that it is a safe place to be.”
Union students also came out to “support this event because it’s really important for us to be a part of the broader Schenectady community,” Jason D’Amico ‘24, the President of AMEU, said. “We are really passionate about creating a more equitable and inclusive community on campus, but we also want to spread that to the community that we live in. So we like to come to this event every year and show our support for survivors and for the local community.”
In addition to this march, Women’s Union had a table in Reamer Campus center, where they distributed pamphlets and domestic violence resources. Additionally, they held event where they wrote about survivors’ experiences in chalk in the Olin courtyard.
Union community members who are experiencing domestic violence have resources both on and off campus. On campus, the Wicker Wellness center offers support in the form of discussing survivors’ options, taking steps to ensure one’s safety, and potentially reporting instances of sexual misconduct.
Off campus, the YWCA offers “advocates, food, basic needs, counseling, clinical, and all kinds of different services so that we can help you break through the cycle of violence in your own life,” Siciliano said. “Domestic violence hits one in four women and one in nine men So it’s, and it has no face, so it could be you, it could be me, it could be anybody here that was at the march who has experienced it in their lifetime.”
The YWCA’s phone number is 518-374-3394, and the Wicker Wellness Center’s sexual assault hotline is (518) 388‐6600 ext. 1. Students, Union community members, and Schenectady residents can look forward to the march again next year.
