A candlelit vigil following a march against sexual violence Thursday proved “breaking the silence” was easier said than done.

The afternoon before the march, called Take Back the Night, was intended to celebrate the prospect of “breaking the silence,” with two live bands in Tate Plaza and several speakers.

“This gives people a lot of courage and support to come forward and report,” Sarah Frank, a junior from Franklin, Tenn. and director for the event, said. “Victims shouldn’t feel shame. We want them to feel they are in a safe place.”

Tate Plaza was buzzing with a crowd of about one hundred people making T-shirts and posters in preparation for the trek downtown.

Posters read, “Consent is Sexy,” “Stop the Violence” and “Real Men Don’t Rape.”

The ruckus grew as the group gathered on Sanford Street to begin the march. Stomping and shouting, holding their banners high, they headed toward City Hall.

They chanted, “two, four, six, eight, stop the violence, stop the hate!” and “No means no, it don’t mean maybe, don’t touch me, my name ain’t baby!”

Arriving at City Hall, the group cheered and settled down in front of the steps.

Everyone lit a candle and Frank explained that it was time for people to come forward and “break the silence” by sharing their own thoughts and experiences with the group.

Silence ensued.

Finally, after about 10 minutes of quiet, one woman stood and told her story.

And then silence.

Time passed … another woman finally came forward.

And once again, quiet. This time, it lingered.

Frank took the stand. “We’ve done all this work to make this happen and it’s still so hard to vocalize,” she said.

She addressed pointing comments made by visitors earlier in the day on The Red & Black’s Web site regarding a recent alleged rape at the University.

“The voices on the responses are the voices victims hear every day and often internalize,” she said. “Not only does that make them silent but it also makes them doubt the validity of their experience.”

Frank’s comments drove the meaning home of “breaking the silence” for several people at the vigil. After she spoke, people stepped forward to address the group one after the other.

Take Back the Night was sponsored by the University’s women’s studies department.