I actually wanted to help create a
support group for sexual abuse victims here at New Jersey City University. Since
I am graduating this semester, I would have no chance to benefit from it or to
be able to be a part of it. I still think it is very much needed here at New
Jersey City University. I know that the Women’s Center offers one event on
sexual abuse a year which is called Take
Back The Knight. I believe students and survivors of sexual abuse would
benefit greatly of having a support group on a weekly basis. I hope they will
change it in the near future. I will write the Counseling center as well as, The
women’s Center to take that suggestions into consideration.
Since I will be moving to the
Washington D.C., I will ask the community and the Church (Cedar Lane Unitarian
Universalist Church) which, I am a member of to create a support group for
sexual survivors. Back in February, a sermon which was based on the #MeToo movement,
has inspired me to focus on bringing awareness to sexual abuse. During the
sermon, the reverent asked everyone to stand up if they have been sexually
assaulted or if they got somehow affected, or know someone who has. The
majority of women and even men stood up. While standing, the reverent asked
everyone to take a piece of a puzzle. The idea behind the piece was to demonstrate
that everyone is a small piece of a larger picture but together we can put the
pieces together and fight against sexual abuse. “Power is thus not purely a financial situation, but one coded in the manner in which we speak, walk, and breathe" (Nato Thomson p. 86). Together we can be powerful! Sexual abuse, it is an ongoing
issue that has not been acknowledged until recently. The #MeToo movement which
started in Hollywood has inspired many survivors of sexual abuse. Victims were
too ashamed to admit their traumatic past. Especially men, they feel too ashamed
and too vulnerable to speak up they fear of judgment because our society has
taught men not to show “weakness”. “He was taught that a boy should not express feelings. I was taught that girls could and should express feelings, or at least some of them.” (Bell Hooks p.1) But hearing many people stand up against
sexual abuse has given many the courage to stand up as well.
In the beginning of this semester,
I was focusing on the benefits of students on campus since I was seeing it
through the eye of a student. But since I will be graduation soon, I started to
see how beneficial this specific support group would be not only for students but
also for other individuals. A larger community such as, Cedar Lane Unitarian
Universalist Church (about 300 attendees during Sunday’s sermon) would greatly
benefit from having support group. Especially seeing how many individuals were affected
one way or the other.
I still have the same goal as
before to start a support group but since my focus point has changed to a
general community and not only students, I have to change my approach to bring awareness
to sexual abuse. At first, I wanted to use students’ art work and movies to demonstrate
the danger and negative outcome of sexual abuse by using graphical pictures.
Now, I have to change that approach to well known artist and activist such as,
Ana Mendieta and the Guerrilla Girls.
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| Ana Mendieta, Untitled (Rape Scene) |
The support group I have in mind is there to support men and women at all ages. I emailed the Reverent and asked if Cedar Lane will create a support group for sexual assault. Her respond:
I think a support
group for survivors of Sexual Assault would be a great idea. Right now, people
mostly meet with me individually. If you
or someone you know would like to do that, please let me know. I will begin to
check within our database of members who are also trained trauma therapists to
see who might be willing to a lead a support group.
We are currently in discussion to have an interest meeting
which I will provide the poster to. As mentioned above, I got inspired by the sermon
on #MeToo movement. The puzzle pieces that were distributed are very meaningful
and inspiring. My idea now, is to use the format of a puzzle piece with artwork
that points out sexual abuse.
As stated before, I will use Ana Mendieta’s art work Untitled
(Rape Scene)
1973 for creating a poster. She uses graphical pictures
(photos) to attract the attention of her viewers – which will be also my goal. Untitled
(Rape Scene) is the documentation of an action that the artist performed in her
apartment in Iowa City, while she was a student at the University of Iowa. In
1980, she commented that the rape had “moved
and frightened” her, elaborating: “I
think all my work has been like that – a personal response to a situation ... I
can’t see being theoretical about an issue like that.” (Quoted in Ana
Mendieta, p.90.)
I will use posters and quotes by the Guerrilla Girls for my
posters quotes include, “If February is
Black History Months and March is Women’s History Month, what happens the rest
of the year?”
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| Guerrilla Girls |
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