April 16, 2024

UMW Observes National Sexual Assault Awareness Month

The University of Mary Washington observed National Sexual Assault Awareness Month this April with three public events: Fear 2 Freedom, The Clothesline Project and Take Back the Night.   UMW Clothesline Project Fear 2 Freedom kicked off the month of events on April 1. UMW’s Talley Center for Counseling Services worked with Fear 2 Freedom to provide after-care kits for those affected by rape, child abuse, domestic violence and sex-trafficking. Kits prepared by participants during the event were donated to local hospitals, Safe Harbor and the Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault. Each kit included a T-shirt, sweatpants, underwear, Freedom bear and storybook, essential toiletries and a personal note. The Clothesline Project  displayed T-shirts on Ball Circle April 8-9. In this nationwide project, students and members of the greater Fredericksburg community who were affected by sexual violence decorated T-shirts that provided a visual testimony to their experiences. Take Back the Night, held on Wednesday, April 8 in front of Lee Hall, encourages survivors and other community members to speak out and take a stand against sexual violence. Take Back the Night takes place nationwide and has been an empowering event for survivors and their supporters for more than 35 years. These events were co-sponsored by Empowerhouse, the Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault (RCASA), and by several UMW offices and organizations including Alpha Mu Sigma, Feminists United, the Office of Judicial Affairs and Community Responsibility, Psi Chi Honor Society, Student Anti-Violence Educators (S.A.V.E.), the Talley Center for Counseling Services and the Office of the Title IX Coordinator.