CARE (Concerned About Rape Education) Week at Boston College will begin on Monday, March 19. The events for the week will emphasize the importance of raising awareness of intimate partner violence and sexual assault.
Throughout the week, students can attend various lectures, seminars, presentations, and workshops designed to highlight the seriousness of sexual assault, occurring both on and off campus, and enhance student’s education on this topic.
Monday’s lineup for events includes “Intersections of Identity and Surviving Sexual Violence” and “Who You Calling B*tch? Misogyny and Sexual Assault in Hip Hop.” New York Times bestselling author Peggy Orenstein will also be speaking on her connection to the topics at hand.
“Take Back the Night,” a program held annually during the middle of CARE week, allows survivors of sexual assault to speak about their experiences and be supported by the audience. The event will culminate in everyone in the audience receiving a glow stick. The lighting of these glow sticks, along with the solidarity walk around campus to follow, symbolically allows the audience to take back spaces on campus or elsewhere where they have ever felt unsafe for threatened. This year, “Take Back the Night” will be held on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in O’Neill Plaza.
Additionally, throughout the week students will have a chance to view the “Healing Visions” open art gallery. Thursday night, students will perform as well as a way to continue to convey the vision of “Healing Through the Arts.” Finally, on Friday, an Expressive Paint Workshop will be held that students can RSVP to by emailing women@bc.edu if they are interested in attending.
Through using the power of the arts to transform a disturbing topic into something expressive and instrumental, the Women’s Center aims to teach students about what consent really means and to deconstruct the stigma surrounding sexual assault to make students feel comfortable in sharing their stories. The center also emphasizes the importance of being a proactive bystander and learning how to be an ally for individuals who have experienced sexual assault at some time in their lives.
Featured Image by Taylor Perison / Heights Staff
