April 25th to 29th was a period known as Consent Week at James Logan. I was one of the students who organized it. Over the last month, the experience has grown even more meaningful. Therefore, I must say the impact it had on students is undeniable.
It all began in February, when I, along with several other dissatisfied students, voiced our abhorrence of the methods by which sexual assault is handled on campus to the school board. I personally was overjoyed to finally have my true feelings brought to light, but I was still unsure of what would come from this event. Roughly two weeks later, everyone who spoke was taken out of class and brought into a meeting with administrators. There, it was revealed that the school board was unaware of the seriousness of the situation and had completely lent their ear over to us. I had never been in this position where adults trusted me so much to do what was moral. To say I was pleased is an understatement. This sentiment only deepened when I discovered that the students would be in charge of the organization of Consent Week.
Everyone took measures to ensure this Consent Week did not emulate the one Logan had in 2020, where the topic of sexual assault was trivialized and therefore treated as a joke among students. The presentation back then, meant to be the heart of it all, was certainly a central problem. The person orating outright, in public, asked students who had been assaulted to raise their hands. It would seem the person tasked with facilitating an event about consent would understand the effects of trauma and how it is manifested in survivors. The extent of their trauma was greatly minimized at that moment. The motions that could come to the surface in that setting could be horrific and strong.
For this Consent week, our organizers contacted RAINN, a national organization, about our cause, and they sent over one of their workers, Mirna Garcia, to help us. She spoke of her experience, how she healed, and how she fought for justice. Her testimony was one that needed to be heard, especially on a campus where rape culture is entirely pervasive. Many people were made more comfortable as they were not in a position of disclosure, but rather one they may relate to or be inspired by.
While demanding the perpetrator be held accountable is a constant, focusing on the survivor’s wellbeing is equally important. Especially since those who have gone through sexual assault are more likely to commit suicide. Thus, healing remained the emphatic concentration during Consent Week; we had booths where people could write how they heal or paint a handprint and write the age they were assaulted. There was an open circle during both lunch periods where students discussed their encounters and even a walkout, which culminated the week’s events. It is our duty to ensure safety for everyone. Consent Week went a long way to achieving this.
