One Billion Rising at Gettysburg College
One Billion Rising logo via Gettysburg College Women’s Center
By Daniella Snyder, Editor-in-Chief
“Rise! Disrupt! Connect!” The slogan reverberated through the room as dozens of women and men stood in solidarity against the exploitation of women as part of the Women’s & LGBTQA Resource Center’s One Billion Rising campaign two weeks ago.
A campaign that stretches around the world, One Billion Rising is the “biggest mass action to end violence against women in human history, based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women will be beaten or raped in their lifetime”, according to the campaign’s website.
Laurel Downie, a program coordinator for the Women’s Center and the student in charge of the event, coordinated with other campus groups, such as Students Against Sexual Assault, the women’s rugby team, and Asian Student Alliance.
Students Against Sexual Assault presented on events and trends they see specifically on our campus when it comes to sex and dating. Asian Student Alliance provided trivia on the experience of Asian and Asian American women within the sexual assault statistics we see globally.
The women’s rugby team hosted a tackling session.
Valentina Cuccuzza was also present to speak on her experience with and passion for the One Billion Rising Campaign. Seeing as her new role on campus is to minimize the amount of sexual violence that happens on Gettysburg’s campus.
Ms. Downie said that following about the event: “One Billion Rising was a campaign started by Eve Ensler, the writer of the Vagina Monologues. The slogan of the campaign changes every year, but the goal—connecting women across the globe—stays the same. This year, the campaign focused on the exploitation of women, whether economic, social, or domestic.”
To get more information about the campaign, visit www.onebillionrising.org.
