Saint Mary's hosts 6th annual 'Raise Your Voice' symposium, with keynote speaker leaving people emotional and uplifted
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Saint Mary hosted its 6th annual 'Raise Your Voice' symposium, a day dedicated to raising awareness surrounding sexual violence.
The day featured a prayer circle, keynote speech from alum Liz Sands and an exhibition room that showcased the clothing items victims wore when they were sexually assaulted.
Liz Sands, a sexual assault survivor herself, shared a powerful message with a packed room regarding her assault experience, highlighting the difficulties in the post-attack.
You're going to have really good days, and then you'll have days where you're like, 'Why can't I open the front door or leave the house,'" Sands says.
"I'm so scared, but because of what? Just know that it's [the healing journey] not going to be perfect."
Pivoting was the key message in Sands' keynote speech, as she tells ABC57 news that survivors must pivot when healing, because everyday is different.
"When my daughter was really little, my husband came home and I didn't hear him coming in and I heard the stair creak. It just instantly put me into a spiral. I realized as much as I'm fine, I really not fine. It's lingering back there because it's human nature," Sands says.
After her assault, Sands quickly realized she wanted to help out other survivors and became the founder of The Courage Closet, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping survivors of sexual abuse.
'Raise Your Voice' symposium also featured a 'What Were You Wearing' exhibition room, deconstructing the common misconception that survivors wore certain clothing that prompted their attack.
In the room, the clothing items survivors wore when they were attacked were portrayed, along with their stories attached to each clothing item. Some stories dated back to when survivors were six years old.
"A lot of times, we do blame survivors: their actions, what they were wearing, where they were and what they're doing before," Liz Baumann said, who is the director of harassment education and response.
"That, of course, isn't true and that's where our 'What Were You Wearing' exhibit comes into play. Asking that common victim-blaming question, 'What were you wearing?' And people can see in the exhibit that it really doesn't matter what you were wearing. We have a wide variety of clothing and stories in this exhibit."
Students, faculty and staff browsed throughout the exhibit, noticeably emotional as they read the notes on each piece of clothing.
The keynote speaker tells ABC57 while her experience has changed the trajectory of her life; she knew she wouldn't let the perpetrators win and is dedicated to spreading awareness for both survivors and non-survivors.
"I found the value in sharing [my story] because I've come to realize that everyone has a story, and when you share yours, they feel that they can share theirs. There's a value in that story."