TO THE EDITOR:
The recent sexual assault at SECU House made headlines this week, but it’s far from the only assault that has taken place recently at UNC. Last year, a high-profile case dominated local and national reporting.
Already this year, the issue of sexual assault has been brought to students’ attention through several different media, from a front-page news story to a text from Alert Carolina to a kvetch about harassment.
Still others may have been introduced to the issue of sexual assault through a friend’s experience, or even their own. Given this amount of coverage, it may come as a shock that only an estimated 5 percent of sexual assault cases are even reported.
Chances are, you probably know someone who has been personally affected, whether you are aware of it or not. So let’s keep combating the culture of silence and shame that surrounds sexual violence.
As members of Project Dinah, we are working to raise awareness and empower survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence by hosting our annual “SpeakOut!” event on Oct. 4 in the Pit from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. At this event, survivor testimonies will be read from our anonymous blog.
There will be music, spoken word poetry and an open mic where survivors will have a chance to share their stories. If you are a survivor, please consider sharing your story on our anonymous blog: speakoutunc.blogspot.com. We hope to see many of you at this event, working together to break the silence.
Mary Koenig ’14
Maggie Barrows ’14
Project Dinah
