This Saturday – when the sun goes down, and the streets darken – women, men, children, survivors, activists and fighters of domestic violence will come together in Midtown to take a stand, speak out and reclaim the safety of the night.

Each year 1.3 million women become victims of domestic violence, and one in every four women in the United States will experience domestic violence, according to statistics from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said Diana Rosas, the press and media contact for Sacramento Women Take Back the Night.

The 32nd annual Women Take Back the Night March and Rally will be held from 6-9 p.m. The event will start with a resource fair at 5:30 p.m. at the Native American Health Center parking lot at 2020 J St., and the march will make a loop around Midtown. This year the theme is “Planting the Seeds of Change.”

“We’re planting the knowledge in someone who’s new to or doesn’t quite understand (domestic violence),” Rosas said. “We’re taking back the night – we’re planting seeds of change. Things are going to change going forward. It’s sort of the promise that we’re making to ourselves: educating people to save others from getting hurt.”

In honor of the theme, during the resource fair children will be able to plant flower seeds in miniature clay pots that they will be able to take home.

Hundreds of hand-folded paper flowers made by the group of 20 to 30 volunteers will be provided for marchers to hold during the event. Each flower will represent and memorialize a victim or survivor of domestic violence.

The thundering, rhythmic drumming of Sacramento Taiko Dan – a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting cultural awareness and diversity while preserving the art of Japanese style drumming – will lead the 16-block march around Midtown.

Volunteers will be walking alongside the expected crowd of over 500 marchers with flashlights to guide the way throughout the walk. The streets will not be closed for the event – marchers will be walking in an orderly fashion through sidewalks and crosswalks, Rosas said.

Prior to the march, a rally will be held beginning with the annual “Survivor Speak-Out” portion of the event organized by Women Escaping A Violent Environment, a source for crisis intervention services for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and one of the founding organizations of the march in 1978. During this time, survivors of domestic violence will voice their personal stories and experiences with domestic violence.

“It’s a safe place for women, for men and for anyone that wants to bring an end to violence and gather to create a safe community,” said Julie Bornhoeft, director of development and community relations at WEAVE. “We need to work to create better communication to give survivors a place tell their stories and be supported.”

WEAVE is bringing three survivors to speak and share stories of their journeys through domestic violence and back. Members of the public will also be welcome to share their stories, Bornhoeft said.

“The survivors speaking out really makes it real for people who haven’t experienced domestic violence,” Rosas said. “When you hear some of these survivors speak, you learn what to look out for and how a simple argument or domestic dispute can turn into murder or death or kidnapping or children getting hurt. The more people that are educated, the more lives that can be spared.”

Other speakers and entertainment will include spoken word by Jovi Radtke and C. Foster – two poets actively supporting the eradication of violence against women – and representatives from sponsoring organizations working closely with Women Take Back the Night to fight for this cause: WEAVE, My Sister’s House, California Partnership to End Domestic Violence and Slutwalk Sacramento, a new organization still being developed.

New sponsors at the resource fair this year will include V-Day Sacramento, which is a benefit project of Sacramento Women Take Back the Night that raised over $15,000 through its first annual productions of the “Vagina Monologues” in April. The funds raised went toward Women Take Back the Night, as well as WEAVE and My Sister’s House – two of of the primary organizations that work together toward supporting women and ending violence, Rosas said.

Organizers of Slutwalk Sacramento will also be tabling to foster support to bring a Slutwalk to the city to fight for the rights of victims of sexual assault.

“It’s all a part of the same cause: violence against women,” Rosas said. “It doesn’t matter what you say, how you dress or where you are. Nothing that you say or do or wear should imply that you deserve to be raped or called a slut or hurt just because of your appearance.

“Violence against women and children is still a very serious issue, and there is crime going on all around us everyday,” Rosas said. “It’s easy for people to not think about it or for people to forget, and this (event) just reminds us that this is going on and we need to do something about it.”

For more information, visit the Sacramento Women Take Back the Night website.