Andrea Rosario, a Wesleyan graduate who teaches in the Boston area, urged women to "cover lightning beams with fists and look for tomorrow" in her poem of female unity.

The day's events continued after the performance as a procession of about 20 students went on a solemn candlelight walk through Harvard Square, stopping only to explain the symbolism of the walk and to re-light flames extinguished by the occasional gust of wind.

The walk concluded just outside Winthrop House, where the events of the day took place. Participants gathered in a circle to offer prayers for survivors and to share their thoughts.

"It is always possible to find peace and to offer peace to another person," Alvarez said as she asked participants to blow out their candles at the conclusion of the evening.

Fellow "Unsilence the Violence" planner Priscilla S. Aquino '01 stressed the importance of an event that allowed people to come together and talk about abuse and sexual violence.

"It can't be something that goes unspoken," Aquino said.