The Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC) will sponsor Rape Prevention Month March 4–April 19.
A number of activities are scheduled during the month, “each dealing with a specific area of sexual assault, but all designed to raise community awareness and understanding of the many issues surrounding sexual violence,” says SAPAC Director Debra Cain.
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
Cain encourages all members of the community to attend as many events as possible, because “rape prevention requires an understanding of the issues and the involvement of the entire community, both men and women.”
Leading off the events will be an address by Kimberle Williams Crenshaw, author of the forthcoming volume, Critical Race Theory: A Reader. Crenshaw has lectured and written extensively on civil rights, Black feminist legal theory, and race and the law. A specialist on legal issues confronting Black women, she assisted the legal team representing Anita Hill.
Crenshaw is professor of law at the University of California, Los Angeles, Law School and the Samuel Rubin Visiting Professor of Law at Columbia Law School. Her work has appeared in Harvard Law Review, National Black Law Journal, Stanford Law Review and Southern California Law Review.
She will give her address at 8 p.m. Friday (March 4) in Honigman Auditorium, Hutchins Hall, Law School. A reception will be held 6–7 p.m. in the Phelps Lounge, Business School Assembly Hall.
Also of interest is a presentation by social work Prof. Kathleen Faller, “Child and Adolescent Sexual Abuse: Characteristics and Impact,” at 7 p.m. March 29, Room 100, Hutchins Hall, Law School. A discussion will follow her talk.
A discussion panel, “Is Gangsta Rap the Music of Sexual Violence?” will be held 7–9 p.m. March 22 in Hale Auditorium, Business School. Does “gangsta rap” promote disrespectful treatment of African American women and encourage sexual violence, or is singling out gansta rap the reflection of a racist media? Panelists Elizabeth Allen, associate professor of nursing; student Ain Boone, and Lee Martin, producer of Da Undaground and No Budget Productions, will discuss the implications of rap music lyrics on male/female sexual politics.
The annual Take Back the Night March and Rally April 9 at City Hall will close Rape Prevention Month. This event is sponsored by the Ann Arbor Coalition Against Rape.
During the rally, SAPAC will announce the “winners” in its sexism in advertising contest. The winner is the most sexist/violent ad as voted by members of the community.
The purpose of the contest is to examine the images of women presented in the media, and to increase awareness of the ways that violent and degrading images help create an atmosphere that accepts and supports sexual victimization of women, organizers say.
Other scheduled events include:
n Self-Defense Workshop: For Women Only, 7–10 p.m., March 21 and March 28, Room D, third floor, Michigan League. Joyce Dorado will conduct a self-defense workshop specifically designed for women. Participants are taught basic moves and tactics to protect themselves in threatening situations. Pre-registration and a $5 donation are requested.
n Brown-Bag Discussions: “Men in Feminism: What Is the Place for Men in the Anti-Violence Against Women Movement?” on March 11 and “Rape Hype: Fact vs. Myth,” on March 18, both at noon, SAPAC Conference Room, West Quadrangle.
All events are wheelchair accessible. Individuals with disabilities that require other accommodations, such as interpreters or large print material, should contact SAPAC, 763-5865, one week prior to the event.
