Students and faculty stood together on the Wait Chapel steps Wednesday afternoon to take a picture symbolic of their stand against rape culture. The photo campaign, organized by junior Andrea Becker and hosted by the Gender Equality Allies, was designed as a show of solidarity against the normalization of rape culture as well as in support of victims.
The campaign was inspired, in part, by the recently published Rolling Stone article which details the brutal gang rape of University of Virginia student ‘Jackie.’ Many involved in
Photos by Tracey Pu/Old Gold & Black
the campaign felt compassion for the backlash ‘Jackie’ has likely received for sharing her story, and thus seek to ‘end the silence’ about sexual violence. In seeking to do this, the campaign encourages victims to share their stories and urges victim-blaming to stop.
“I think it’s really important for college students to understand that the most impactful change can originate with them,” said sophomore Marlee Stark, who participated in the campaign.
The ongoing recent investigation of rape culture at University of Virginia has added yet another motivation to campaigns to end sexual violence already going on around campus. In addition to Wednesday’s photo project, pillows lined the wall in front of the Fresh Food Company, bearing messages such as ‘end the silence’ and ‘1 in 4 women will be raped in college.’ Above the building was draped a banner reading ‘Don’t Get Raped,’ in which the ‘get’ and the ‘d’ on ‘Raped’ were crossed out. The resulting message —“Don’t Rape.” All of these efforts return to the idea that Wake’s campus community must end victim-blaming and hold perpetrators accountable.
“I feel that it’s my duty as not only a student, but as a person and human being, to come and show that this behavior … is not OK, is something that we should all take a stand against,” said sophomore Noelle Van Calcar, who participated in Wednesday’s photo campaign.
The efforts work closely with the recent publishing of the blog endthesilencewf.wordpress.com, a collection of testimonies and messages of support gathered by senior Elizabeth Stalfort. The blog not only seeks to provide a safe place for victims to share their stories and seek healing; it also seeks to combat the idea that sexual violence is not prevalent on college campuses. Rather, it aims to demonstrate that it is underreported due to fear and embarrassment suffered by victims, and a belief that police may not be able or willing to help.
As students, male and female, Greek affiliated and non-Greek affiliated, flocked towards the chapel Wednesday to partake in the photo campaign, many took a moment afterwards to share their personal reasons for getting involved. Individual photos were taken of students carrying dry-erase boards on which they could complete the sentence “I stand with survivors because…”
Tracey Pu/Old Gold & Black
Campaigns like those begun by Stalfort and Becker have already demonstrated a profound effect on students across campus. For sophomore Randy Diaz, hearing Stalfort’s story inspired him to get involved.
“It sparked this newfound activism in me that said, ‘Why is this happening to college kids around the country?’” said Diaz. “Once we tackle issues like that, then we can move forward with the conversation.”