Sewing Together Stories of Sexual Violence and Survival

 

It is often difficult for victims of sexual violence to speak about their experiences. But 3,000 of them recently expressed themselves through art. Each created a single square of cloth that make up a special project called the Monument Quilt.

Each square has a message from a survivor¹ of rape², incest or violence. They are women, men and children from across the United States and Mexico. This month, the Monument Quilt was laid out on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. From above, its squares spelled out “YOU ARE NOT ALONE” in English and in Spanish.

The activist³ alliance FORCE: Upsetting Rape Culture established the project. The Baltimore, Maryland-based group produces large public art projects to gain media attention and get millions of people talking.

“We’re a survivor-led organization,” said the group’s co-founder, Hannah Brancado. “We’re putting the needs of survivors⁴ first in creating a public platform for our healing. This display is the final, the 50th display that we’ve done around the country in the U.S. and Mexico in 33 different cities in the past six years.”

A safe space to share

Four years ago, one of those events moved Greg Grey Cloud to join the campaign.

“At that time, no male had shared their story until finally I got enough nerve to share my story,” he recalled. “Since I was 9 years old, I was sexually assaulted. But these women here at the Monument FORCE, they created such a safe space for me to share my story.”

Sharing his story changed his life. He no longer blames himself or feels guilty about what happened to him.

“For the longest time since, I stayed the 9-year-old,” he explained. “I was a grown up man, but I was a 9-year-old in my head. But they shared the space for me where I can be a grown-up man and continue to share what happened to me when I was a child.”

Kalima Young, a member of the leadership team, has worked with hundreds of sexual violence survivors and their family members.

She said, “Our commitment is to make sure that the most marginalized voices and stories are included.”

Through the group’s workshops in Baltimore, Young has come to see the strong ability people have to recover. She remembers meeting a grandmother, mother and granddaughter.

“The three of them experienced sexual violence from a family member,” she said. “Each of them was making her own quilt square. The grandmother had also brought along her grandson, who was around 8 years old. He made his own quilt square as well and it says, ‘I commit to being a better man.’”

Young says sexual violence is especially damaging to the mind. But she says the quilt-making process helps victims to recover. And it helps others come to terms with their own past.

“Often people who don’t even identify as survivors," she said, "once they experience the quilt, they realize that they have sexual violence in their history.”

Healing and empowering

The quilt shows have appealed to thousands of visitors.

Naomi Chandel Kumar walked around the quilts laid out on the National Mall. She said she was touched by the survivors’ stories.

“It’s really beautiful to see survivors standing⁵ up and not being afraid and being able to find healing in the community,” she said.

She added that it was also sad to see the damaging effect that sexual violence has on all communities.

Organizers say their work does not stop here. The display is just the beginning of the group’s effort to take the issue of sexual violence to the wider public, heal more survivors and push for change.

I’m Caty Weaver⁶.

Words in This Story

quilt - n. a bed cover with stitched designs that is made of two layers of cloth filled with wool, cotton, or soft feathers?

incest - n. sexual intercourse⁷ between people who are very closely related?

platform - n. something that allows someone to tell a large number of people about an idea, product, etc.?

assault - v. to violently attack (someone or something)?

comittment - n. a promise to do or give something?

marginalize - v. to put or keep (someone) in a powerless or unimportant position within a society or group

1 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

2 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

7 intercourse   

n.性交；交流，交往，交际

参考例句：

• The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
• There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。