Survivors, advocates gather in Lawrence for 20th annual Take Back the Night vigil

Take Back the Night participants in Lawrence, Massachusetts, delivered personal testimony and resource information at an event organizers said has run for 20 years.

Speakers described the vigil as a space for survivors to share stories, point to local support services and push for community awareness of sexual and domestic violence. The Center for Hope and Healing, the 988 suicide prevention hotline and the Trevor Project’s LGBTQ helplines were listed as resources.

“Twenty years ago, Stephanie and I decided that we needed something with more involvement within our community… We started a group called Pro Voice,” said the Pro Voice co‑founder, who helped organize the local event. She described the vigil’s usual program — brief speeches by dignitaries, a march to UMass and an opportunity for survivors to share in a "safe space." She added, “I will say that the Center for Hope and Healing is one of the reasons why I'm still here today.”

Several younger speakers and members of Community Connections urged the community to support survivors and break the stigma that prevents disclosures. “Survivors need to be heard and need to be believed,” a Community Connections member said.

One speaker who identified as male said a training offered by the Center for Hope and Healing had been “phenomenal,” opening his eyes to resources and the nuances of survivorship, and stressed that men can play a role in awareness and activism.

A long‑running survivor account described decades of therapy and the ongoing work of recovery. “At 18, I started therapy, and I have never stopped,” a speaker recounted. “Relearning how to live, how to manage my thoughts…has taken investigation, exposure, peeling back layers of myself I didn't know were there, and most importantly, community.”

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who identified herself as a survivor, told the vigil crowd she has directed her office to consider survivors’ experiences when auditing state agencies. “Tonight I shared a little bit of my personal story… and also shared some of the ways that we in the office of state auditor are making sure to create space for survivors in our audits that we are conducting of state government agencies,” DiZoglio said, citing recent audits involving the Sex Offender Registry Board and the Department of Early Education and Care.

DiZoglio said her own disclosure as a child survivor helped prompt others to come forward during the case she described in Lawrence, and she urged continued public attention to institutional responsibilities such as background and licensing checks in child care settings.

Other speakers stressed community responsibility for intervening when someone suspects abuse. One survivor said her attacker was sentenced last fall to “seven to 10” years, and urged bystanders and enablers to speak up: “If you know somebody that's assaulting someone…speak up because you could make the difference.”

Organizers encouraged attendees to use local resources: the Center for Hope and Healing’s counseling and hotline services, 988 for suicide prevention, and LGBTQ crisis support through the Trevor Project. Several speakers emphasized that the vigil was open to people of many ages and that seeing survivors speak publicly helps others feel less alone.

The vigil combined personal testimony and community outreach; there were no formal motions or governmental decisions taken at the event. Organizers and speakers framed the gathering as both commemorative and practical — a chance to remember survivors and point neighbors to support services.

A closing speaker said the act of speaking out can break cycles of abuse and encouraged continued community solidarity. “And that's all it takes is for someone to be strong and say it,” the speaker said.