April 08, 2015 –
MAYETTA: April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and to honor it the Tribal Victim Services Department hosted the 4th annual Take Back the Night Awareness event last night at Prairie Peoples Park.
The evening kicked off with a presentation about the problem of sexual assault in Native American communities. Statistics show that one in three native women are victims of sexual assault and the purpose of Take Back the Night was to highlight programs available to the Prairie Band Potawatomi community like the Tribal Victim Services Department and Safestar volunteer community assistance program.
In addition, Liana Onnen, PBPN chairperson, read a Tribal Council Resolution that declared tribal support and she also spoke about the importance of the Tribal Victim Services program and other groups to the cause. The evening concluded with a round dance.
Below are photographs taken by the News:
Holding the microphone is Chairperson Onnen speaking to the crowd. Others in the photo, from left to right, are Shirley Rice, Daniel Goombi, Keirsten Hale and Iva Rank. Rice and Goombi are with the Tribal Victim Services Department and Hale and Rank are Safestar volunteers.
A project table where messages about how to combat sexual assault were created with cut out paper shirts and magic markers.
April is also Alcohol Awareness Month and a display was manned by Dumps Mitchell and Kek Simon who is with her child. Mitchell is a staff member in the Social Services Department and Simon works at the Child Care Center.
From left to right is Carol Dewitt, Liana Onnen, Matt Simpson, Kent Miller and Camilla Chouteau. Dewitt is a tribal member, Onnen and Chouteau serve on the Tribal Council, Simpson is a tribal police officer and Miller is on the Tribal Victim Services staff.
Round dance.
Hand drummers and singers.
There were several spectators that attended the event. In the forefront are the paper messages that were hung on a line all together.