April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM). According to the National Sexual Assault Resource Center, the U.S. first observed SAAPM in 2001, after years of anti-sexual violent groups advocating for the event. During the month of April, organizations and people across the U.S. focus on raising awareness about sexual assault, advocating for preventing sexual assault and supporting survivors. American University is no exception; in fact, we have many excellent events and organization across campus that are doing just that! According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, each year there will be “293,066 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault.” Make sure you check out these events this month, practice self-care for yourself and your friends, and continue to support and advocate for Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.
Join AU PEERS and AUSG Women’s Initiative at 7 pm on April 13th for Take Back the Night. Take Back the Night is an international event, held annually, where thousands of people rally to end sexual violence. In fact, these rallies have existed even before April was declared Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. AU’s Take Back the Night event will consist of a march followed by a gathering where survivors will have the opportunity to speak on their experiences or provide words of support. Facebook group here.
April 15th: Piece of the Solution: Awareness Wall EventWhere: MGC 5
On April 15th, from 11am to 4pm, Piece of the Solution, a group from SPA Leadership with a focus on gender and sexuality issues, will be hosting an event in MGC to stand up to rape culture. They will be presenting an awareness wall which will display anonymous stories submitted by students as well as a pledge you can take here. Make sure you check it out to say “enough is enough” to rape culture. Visit their Facebook group here.
April 20th: The Clothesline ProjectWhere: The Quad
Hosted by AU PEERs, the Clothesline Project gives participants who have experienced sexual violence the chance to create t-shirts which will tell their stories. These t-shirts will be displayed in the quad and these stories are important as they will serve as testimony to the horrors and problem of sexual violence. Check out the Facebook event here.
April 20th: The Hunting Ground: A Film Screening and Discussion
Where: Ward 1
Come to Ward 1 at 6:30pm to catch a viewing of The Hunting Ground, sponsored by the Center for Diversity and Inclusion. Created by the same people who produced The Invisible War, The Hunting Ground focuses on sexual assault on college campuses, specifically addressing some widely known cases. Following the movie will be a discussion with Student Government and AU administrators. Check out the Facebook event here.
April 21st: The “Right to Party” PartyWhere: The Quad
From 11am to 3pm on the quad, Zeta Beta Tau, AU PEERS and AUSG Women’s Initiative will be hosting the “Right to Party” party which will advocate for every student’s right to feel safe in their community, whether they be at a party and/or intoxicated or not. It will raise awareness about consent as well as provide resources for survivors of sexual assault. This event will have a lot of fun assets including a bounce house, games, raffles and food! All proceeds will go to NVRDC which provides legal counsel to survivors of sexual assault in D.C. Facebook here.
Make sure to keep your eyes open for other events not listed here throughout the month of April! Remember that April 7th is Sexual Assault Awareness Month Day of Action and also remember to wear jeans on April 29th for Denim Day, another awareness event. Be sure to get off campus, too, and check out events around D.C. to advocate for awareness and prevention!