Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky Take Back the Night, or TBTN, is an event that seeks to end sexual violence in all its forms, including sexual assault, sexual abuse and incest. TBTN empowers survivors in the healing process, honors those who have not survived and inspires responsibility in us all.
The 2022 Cincy/NKY Take Back the Night event will be held on Thursday, April 21, at 6 p.m. at Goebel Park in Covington. This year’s event theme is “The Time Is Now: Reflect, Heal, Act.”
“Having an event where I, as a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, feel celebrated, heard, seen, and safe is so important,” Lindsey Ross, cofounder of Covington’s Thrive Empowerment Center and a member of this year’s planning committee said. “Knowing my community has surrounded me with love and acceptance—that’s what this event is all about.”
The 2022 event will be emcee’d by Khrystian Styles, of the ION Center and The K.A.S.S.I.E. Project, and the keynote address will be delivered by Kim Belew, a survivor of human trafficking who is now an award-winning singer, writer, and musician.
The evening’s event begins at 6 p.m. with a community resource fair featuring businesses, organizations, and agencies that support survivors of assault, abuse and incest and work to create a safer community for us all.
Musician Pete Davidson will lead a community drum circle, and attendees will have the opportunity to decorate a t-shirt as part of the Clothesline Project, remembering those who have died or been affected by sexual violence. Additional performances are provided by MUSE Cincinnati Women’s Choir and Aprina’s Revolutionary Love.
A community awareness march through Mainstrasse Village will begin at 6:45 p.m. Following the keynote address by Belew, community members are invited to participate in the annual Survivor Speak Out, an opportunity to tell their stories and allow the community to bear witness. The program will conclude with a Candlelight Vigil, beginning at 8:15 p.m.
