We hosted a Tunnel of Oppression event to raise awareness about sexual assault. We wrote facts, events and quotes on posters and printed visuals so that we could present them in our tunnel. The event was hosted at Northern Illinois University in the Holmes Student Center, room 505 from 7-8pm on Sunday, November 17th. We made a tunnel by taping black garbage bags to the white board and lowering a projection screen on the other side while our community partner set up a display at the end of the tunnel.
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Participants seemed contemplative and a little shocked by our statistics, definitions, and images. Everyone learned something new. The information in the tunnel was connected back to the implications it had on their own experiences. The viewers expressed their thoughts with us and we discussed current action on this issue.
The Tunnel of Oppression was a manifestation of our research, an event which used media to raise awareness about a problem and act as a preventative measure to help end violence against women. We strove to help our visitors see the ways in which media more often than not propagates rape culture and keeps victims marginalized.
The Tunnel of Oppression was a manifestation of our research, an event which used media to raise awareness about a problem and act as a preventative measure to help end violence against women. We strove to help our visitors see the ways in which media more often than not propagates rape culture and keeps victims marginalized.
Our Tunnel had 4 areas: Definitions of sexual assault, myths about rape, who is impacted and who is responsible, and resources for victims. "Real men Respect women!," was seen along statistics that about 1 in 3 women will be impacted by sexual assault in their lives, and news about current events like the Slut walk or Steubenville case. A broken mirror lay in the center saying victims in many ways have to deal with feelings of brokenness in the healing process. It was very important to include visuals and current news in the tunnel about how commentary on how a woman dresses should not be up to the public. Everything in our society is amplified by the media, Feminists should use this to their advantage and point out misogynistic acts that harm women in the spotlight, in order to have a ripple effect.
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Here is what some participants got out of our tunnel based on surveys: