Meeting with Anna:

Our group met with Anna, an alumn of LREI and a rape victim, on December 2nd.  We met her for coffee at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, where a very successful interview would soon take place.

Anna was a freshman at Hobart University when she was sexually assaulted by multiple college football players.  Immediately after she was assaulted, she knew what was done to her was wrong. To her surprise, she was accused of lying and the school would not give any consequences to the perpetrators.  Even after the medical tests proved that she was, indeed, raped, her school chose to ignore them.  Anna was eventually bullied out of her school, and publically shamed by her community.

Now, Anna is speaking up for herself.  She went to the New York Times and they published her story. She is working with other rape victims, and anti-rape activists to create a world where the victim isn’t shamed.

Anna talked to us about her experience, her activism work, and what we can do to make a change. Shr explained to us that just because you haven’t gone through a traumatic experience, like she had, you should still stand up for something you believe in. She also touched on rape culture and how rape culture is normalizing rape in society. She also gave us many of helpful contacts, which we used almost all of, and advice for our Social Justice Teach In. Additionally, she agreed to come speak at our Teach In on a panel, which I think will prove to be a learning experience for everyone in the school.