Every spring, the Women’s Center (WC) hosts Concerned About Rape Education (C.A.R.E.) Week to raise awareness about sexual assault and intimate partner violence on and off campus. As part of this initiative, the WC collaborates with a number of students and student organizations on campus to develop a multi-faceted dialogue about the realities of sexual violence. For the past few years, both the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC) and FACES have been honored to work alongside the WC in bringing this very important conversation to the forefront of our community’s collective consciousness.
This year, the GLC and FACES decided to collaborate on an event titled, “Dangerous Perceptions: Intersections of Race, Sexuality and Sexual Violence.” The event was hosted Tuesday, March 24, in Gasson 305 at 5:00 PM. Intersectionality is too often undiscussed in conversations about identity, and particularly in the growing movement against sexual violence. This collaboration aimed to discuss how sexual assault and sexual violence disproportionately affect communities of color and LGBTQ persons. In particular, the event presented the scales of sexual assault and violence within these systemically oppressed communities through statistics, spoken word and an open discussion with the audience.
Early Wednesday morning, members from both the GLC and FACES had an opportunity to debrief last night’s C.A.R.E. Week event. The GLC and FACES seek to spark discussion about the many facets of oppression and safely talk about identity and support for our communities. We recognize that last night’s event may not have adequately fulfilled those objectives, and in particular we would like to point students to the wealth of resources and research on these issues so that we can move forward as a community.
The Boston College Sexual Assault Network (SANet) is available to all students who have been directly or indirectly affected by sexual assault. The network offers trained advocates who can provide support and further resources at anytime. The number is 617-552-2211 and advocates are standing by 24/7. Beyond BC’s campus, Fenway Health, a pioneer in the field of LGBTQ+ health, has many support systems in place for survivors. Fenway Health is located on 1340 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02215. They can be reached at (617) 267-0900. Additionally, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center (BARCC) provides many options for survivors and friends of survivors of sexual assault.
In addition, please do not hesitate to reach out to any of us with further thoughts, concerns, or ideas for continuing this conversation. We look forward to facilitating more progressive dialogue and advancing awareness of these issues in the future.
In solidarity and with respect,
Janne Williams, GLC Asst. Director of Outreach
Isabel Guillen, GLC Asst. Director of Intersecting Identities
Andrew Engber, GLC Chair
Billy Shyne, GLC Vice-Chair
Brian Kouassi, FACES Hall Talks Facilitator
Emily Lu, FACES Hall Talks Facilitator
Nanci Fiore-Chettiar, FACES Hall Talks Coordinator
William Hwang, FACES Hall Talks Coordinator
Sean O’Sullivan, FACES Co-Director
Grace Kim, FACES Co-Director
Cameron McEwen, FACES Co-Director
Adisa Duke, FACES Co-Director
