News & Updates
Apr 01

Understanding Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Content warnings: Discussion of sexual assault and trauma

Sexual Assault Awareness Month, SAAM for short, comes around every year in April. SAAM is not just a monthly observance, but a time to highlight the issue and take collective action as a path to create change. Sexual assault (SA) is most commonly recognized as acts of sexual violence committed against women. While it does disproportionately affect BIPOC women at a staggering rate, it is an issue that impacts anyone of any age and gender. SA, 8 out of 10 times, are committed by someone the survivor knows personally, such as a family member or close friend. Due to this, SA usually goes underreported for reasons such as: self-blame, concerns for overall safety, or fear the report will be dismissed due to not being believed.

It is worth mentioning that with the very foundation of this country, SA was used as a tactic to oppress and dehumanize Indigenous communities as a tool of colonization. Indigenous people still experience this issue at high volumes today, yet often, Indigenous voices are left out of the conversation. I urge you to look into peer-reviewed articles and writings from Indigenous people who explore the issue of SA within their communities, and how justice is and is not served. Centered on community care, their wisdom provides pathways to individual, generational, and collective healing. 

In the United States, activism around sexual assault dates as far back as the early 1900’s, with Black women and women of color at the forefront of these movements. Women such as Rosa Parks, Recy Taylor, Angela Davis, and bell hooks have all paved the way for the modern movement that women in the 21st century such as Bamby Salcedo, Sarah Deer and Tarana Burke have continued pushing forward. The ‘me too.’ organization helped propel the social movement bringing awareness to SA and has been monumental in waking up the world to the magnitude of the problem, and supporting survivors’ healing globally. 

Last year, CWBH Member Eden Martinez, directed and produced a short film titled “After Closing”, which we were honored to screen for Denim Day. The film explores reclaiming your body and mind in the aftermath of Sexual Assault. Every April 30th, millions of individuals all over the world wear jeans with a purpose – to support survivors, educate, and continue bringing attention to the movement against SA.

For anyone who has experienced SA in whatever form, know there is support available and people who are committed to being part of the movement for justice and healing. A question I pose to you as the reader is How do we get everyone involved in realizing and understanding the importance of SAAM? One way is to see some of the available resources below that I hope are helpful if you and/or someone you know is experiencing or has experienced sexual assault. 

Resources & Literature

  1. “Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement” by Tarana Burke
  2. “Resource on the Go” Podcast by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center
  3. National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
    Confidential 24/7 Crisis Support from     RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.
  4. Sexual Violence Survivor Resource Guide by New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault 
  5. NYC HOPE Services and Map Directory 
  6. Abolitionist Futures: Addressing Gender Based Violence
  7. To Book a screening and discussion of the film After Closing in your community, contact edenmcreative@gmail.com 

Sources