April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, an annual campaign intended to raise public awareness about sexual assault and educate communities and individuals on how to prevent sexual violence. In honor of this month, The Aurora Center (the U of M’s center for victims/survivors/concerned people of sexual assault, relationship violence, or stalking) is putting on a number of events to help raise awareness and promote advocacy for survivors of sexual assault. Here are a list of some of the events that you can show up for!
SAAM Vigil & Kickoff
Come and honor the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month with support and empowerment by promoting this year’s theme of Embracing Your Voice! The candlelight vigil will begin by walking around the Mall on campus and will be silent to honor the victims and survivors of sexual assault. The vigil will end at Northrop Plaza where we will hear a performance by Vocal U A Capella, a spoken word set by artist Muna Abdulahi and end with a speech by sexual violence survivor and advocate Abby Honold. The vigil will take place on Friday, April 6, 6:00pm, and be sure to check out the Facebook Event for more details.
HRL SAAM Discussion Series Session: Healthy Relationships (Second of Four Sessions)
Join TAC and HRL in Comstock Hall’s Ballroom for the second session in the series to learn about and discuss what a healthy relationship should look like! There will be FREE FOOD from Maya Cuisine, so be sure to stop by. Remember that with each session you attend, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a gift card to an off-campus restaurant! The second session will take place Tuesday, April 10, at 7:00pm. For more info about the session, check out the Facebook Event.
The Hunting Ground Screening & Panel
The Aurora Center will be screening the 2015 documentary, The Hunting Ground in partnership with Minnesota NOW. The Hunting Ground is a documentary film about the incidence of sexual assault on college campuses in the United States and what the creators say is a failure of college administrations to deal with it adequately. After the screening, there will be a panel discussion featuring: Malik Mitchell, Men’s Engagement Coordinator at The Aurora Center; Ami Wazlawik, President of the Minnesota National Organization for Women (NOW); Sawyer Plotz, Education Program Coordinator at the Sexual Violence Center (SVC); and Mina Kian, Representative to the Board of Regents at the Minnesota Student Association (MSA). The screening will take place in Coffman Theater on Wednesday, April 11, at 6:30pm. Check out the Facebook Event for more info.
Self-Care, Self-Defense, and Self-Empowerment Workshops
The Aurora Center is sponsoring two Self-Care, Self-Defense and Self-Empowerment Workshops facilitated by Diane Long of Kaleidoscope Arts. Long is an advocate, self-defense instructor and somatic therapist. Empowerment self-defense places no blame on victims of violence, recognizes that violence continues to be perpetrated, and aims to provide individuals and communities with more options to intervene and resist violence in all forms. The first workshop will be on Thursday April 12 from 2:00-4:00pm, and the second on Tuesday April 24th, from 9:00-11:00am, both on the fourth floor of the RecWell Center. Folks who are interested should email aurora@umn.edu.
HRL SAAM Discussion Series Session: A Toxic Culture (Third of Four Sessions)
Join TAC and HRL in 17th Ave Hall’s Fireplace Lounge for the third session in the series to learn about rape culture and look at the society we live in that allows violent/abusive behavior to occur. They’ll be taking a special look at the recent “Me, Too” and “Time’s Up” movements. Special guest, Amanda Watson, from the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, will be joining the session. There will be FREE FOOD from Chipotle, and remember that you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a gift card to an off-campus restaurant if you attend! This session will take place on Wednesday, April 18, at 7:00pm. Hit up the Facebook Event for more event details.
Denim Day
For the past 19 years, Peace Over Violence has run its Denim Day campaign on a Wednesday in April in honor of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. Wearing jeans on Denim Day has become a symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault. In this rape prevention education campaign we ask community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion by wearing jeans on this day as a visible means of protest against the misconceptions that surround sexual assault. This year’s Denim Day is all day on April 25, 2018, wherever you may be. Be sure to look at the Facebook Event for more info on the case that brought forth this call to action.
HRL SAAM Discussion Series Session: Support, Report & Step Up (Fourth of Four Sessions)
Join TAC and HRL in Middlebrook Hall’s Terrace Room for the last session in this series to learn more about how to support victim/survivors, what the reporting process looks like, and how you can be an active bystander and get involved in violence prevention work! There will be FREE FOOD from Keefer Court Cafe, so be sure to stop by for this LAST session in the series where you will also be entered in a drawing to win a gift card to an off-campus restaurant. This final session will take place on Wednesday, April 25, at 7:00pm. Check out the Facebook Event for more details.