Denim Day 2015

What is Denim Day?

On July 12, 1992, an 18-year-old Italian girl went to take the driving exam with her 45-year-old driving instructor. He proceeded to drive her out of town and raped her for an hour, threatening to kill her if she ever told anybody. She eventually told her parents and the police, and charges were pressed. However, when the case was brought before the Italian Supreme Court, the court stated that, “it is a fact of common experience that it is nearly impossible to take jeans off a person even partially without the active collaboration of the person who is wearing them.” In short, there's no way the incident could have happened as she described it because she obviously must have helped him remove her tight jeans. This has become known as the "jeans defense".  Sexual assault is never okay, no matter what a person is wearing.  As a result there were mass public protests, that eventually led to the establishment of Denim Day each April 29th. On this day, people are encouraged to wear denim in solidarity with all survivors of sexual violence.Southern Utah University is no exception. We encourage all students to wear jeans during the entire week of the 27th to help spread the word. There is no excuse and never an invitation to rape! 

Take Back The Night 2015

Take Back the Night is a well-known sexual assault awareness program that makes the simple assertion “no one should fear the night”. Take Back the Night is a movement that is rooted in publically taking a stand against sexual assault especially against woman. Take Back the Night’s story began with various reactive protests including those in 1975 protesting the serial murders of a black woman in Las Angeles. Internationally the Tribunal on Crimes against Woman held a reclaim the night march in Brussels in 1976. Protest spanned the ‘70’s in reaction to violence against women across the United States and Canada. In Canada form 1980 to 1985 The Vancouver Rape Relief held take back the night marches. These marches became the staple of the movement, a way for people to meet publically and actively take back what was lost.

Today Take Back the Night marches are held all across the United States organized by collages, rape crises center and domestic violence shelters. These marches create a show of force, not threatening, but powerful. The idea that we have the right to our own safety and actively working towards a night without fear has great unifying power. SUU’s Woman and Families Center 10^th annual Take Back the Night march echoed this great unifying power of sisterhood. 

Wade Hess, a participant in SUU’s Take Back the Night march, shared his experience, “It was cool to take part in an event with so many concerned, passionate people. Sexual violence is a huge problem that affects every community and therefore every person. Participating in this event inspired me to do my part in both eliminating the problem and spreading the word about its prevention.”

Not Your Average Monday Post!

Hello friends,

Normally we would have a Meet The Team Monday here. Since our week is so packed with fascinating events, we figured we'd tell you a little bit about that.

 This is one of our co-sponsored events with Canyon Creek Women's Crisis Center. Designed to help people stand up against acts of violence and assault. The It's On Us for SUU will be shown as well which is so cool.  It's from 3:30-5pm in the Entertainment Bureau. To RSVP, email baileyderoest@ccwcc.org

 Denise Tomer is a previous volunteer here at the Center for Women and Families. She is passionate about resistance in all forms. Resistance and realistic scenarios are the focus of this facilitation. It's in the Cedar Breaks room of the Sharwan Smith, from 7pm to 9pm.

Take Back The Night began as a response to the notion that women aren't safe alone at night. This is a nationwide event that is done throughout April in the U.S. We will start in the Living Room and walk to Main Street Park (across from Lins)  where there will be a guest speaker and snakcs! Everyone is welcome to march with us at this event.

Whew, sounds busy right? We are really thrilled to be working with Canyon Creek to put on so many events for the community. Hope to see you there!

A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and a Prayer/5K Teal Ribbon Run

Phew...what a busy few weeks it's been! With our Sex Trafficking event over and the Clothesline coming down at the end of the week, it's time to turn our attention to other upcoming events. First and foremost will be A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer this weekend, Friday and Saturday at 7:00PM in the Living Room of the Sharwan Smith Center. These stories and monologues were originally compiled by Eve Ensler, of The Vagina Monologues fame, who has called violence against women "...an issue that lives smack in the middle of the world and is still not spoken, not seen, not given weight or significance." The event is the result of a beautiful partnership with the Canyon Creek Women's Crisis Center. Each reading will focus on sexual violence and its effects on men and women alike. This collection is valuable both in its inclusion of both sexes and in its ability to jump-start a dialogue about a topic that is all too often swept under the rug.

In other news, this Saturday is the 5K Teal Ribbon Run! There is a small fee to sign up ($15 for students, $20 for the public, and $25 a week before; same day registration is fine). This run is in solidarity with Rape and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and all proceeds will benefit the Canyon Creek Women's Crisis Center. Check out the flier below for more details, we hope to see you there!

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Every April, the Center for Women and Families teams up with Canyon Creek Women's Crisis Center to plan out our advocacy for Sexual Assault Awareness month. This is one of our biggest months for advocacy, and one of the most important. We work with a community who fall into the age range with the highest risk of sexual assault (80% under age 30, rainn.org/statistics) so this issue is one that is close to home for our community. We work on raising awareness for the issue, gathering support for entities whose focus is supporting survivors, and we advocate to change the culture that exists around sexual assault. 68% of sexual assaults are not reported; this could be due to shame, fear or feeling lost and alone. Together, we work on challenging those stereotypes and assumptions, and encourage people to know where resources are for themselves and their loved ones. Some really wonderful events and projects are coming up this month! Check out the flyer below!