Wednesday night at 8:30PM, Cohen Auditorium was fully packed with Tufts students who came to watch and support the first “It Happens Here” event at Tufts.
The It Happens here project was created on the Middlebury campus and now exists on several college campuses across the country. The project aims to create a space where survivors of sexual violence can tell their stories and have a voice. Sexual violence is a topic that is surrounded by silence, and the It Happens Here project aims to start a conversation about this extremely serious problem that exists on college campuses but is rarely talked about.
Over the past few weeks, Tufts students anonymously submitted their experiences with sexual violence online, and Wednesday night their stories were told on the Cohen Auditorium stage. Volunteers and survivors stood on the stage and read the real life experiences of Tufts students. The stories were extremely moving and touched a very real place in everyone’s heart.
The telling of these stories was then followed by a great guest speaker, Wagatwe Wanjuki, who told the audience, in her own words, about her personal experience and confrontations with sexual violence while she was a student here at Tufts. She is now a nationally recognized advocate on sexual violence. She has been on the Daily Show, has been published in Ebony magazine and is a regular blogger on Feministing, an online feminist blog.
At the end of the event, the organizers thanked everyone for their support and for attending and listed several resources that are available for people who have or who know someone who has experienced sexual trauma. These resources are listed below.
John Kelly, a member of the Consent Culture Network said that they are were humbled by the success of event.
“This conversation does not end here, but continues and grows from this. We look forward to bringing It Happens Here back next year, as well as leading trainings, workshops, and awareness campaigns in the coming weeks, months, and years. We must not become complacent, but honor those voices we heard on Wednesday with a commitment to change.”
All in all it was a very emotional night for the speakers, the audience members and many others in the Tufts community.
Cohen Auditorium remained full until the end of the event at 11:15pm.
Resources
Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (offers a 24-hour hotline, free counseling, and legal support. 800-841-8371
Victim Rights Law Center offers free legal support to college students with experiences of sexual trauma.
Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network offers a free 24-hour online hotline
Tufts University Police Department operates as the police force for the Medford/ Somerville Campus
Fenway Community Health Center offers medical resources for LGBTQ individuals.
Cambridge Health Alliance Victims of Violence Program offers support and resources to people with experiences of sexual trauma.
Beth-Israel Hopsital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Cambridge Hospital, Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Newton-Wellesley Hospital are all SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) sites, which offer medical assistance and provide evidence collection and toxicology kits after experiencing sexual assault.
Tufts Office of Equal Opportunity conducts investigations of sexual misconduct on all Tufts campuses.
Ears for Peers is confidential peer support hotline of Tufts University, available from 7 PM to 7 AM.