Students Invite All to Protest Violence Against Women

One in three women and girls will be raped or beaten in their lifetimes, Oakton Community College students want you to know. 

To raise awareness in hopes of ending the violence, the students are joining people in more than 160 countries in the One Billion Rising movement for an event at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. They'll sing the movement's "Break the Chain" song.

Performances of "The Vagina Monologues" will also be staged at Oakton's Des Plaines campus Feb. 16-18.

Kathleen Carot, Professor of Humanities, Speech and Theater and Coordinator of Women's and Gender Studies at Oakton, answered questions about the event. 

Patch: Are there going to be two separate events, at Oakton's Des Plaines and Skokie campuses? 

Kathleen Carot: Yes, both begin at 3:30pm on Feb. 14 and take place in the main lobbies.

Can community members (i.e., non-students) participate? Do they need to sign up in advance?  

Both events are open to the public;  advance signup is not necessary.

Is there a club, teacher or class at Oakton that is the organizing force behind this event? 

The One Billion Rising events are sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program: website is www.@oakton.edu/wgs, emai: wgs@oakton.edu, Facebook page: Oakton WGS

How is it that you are tying in "The Vagina Monologues"? Is that being done by the theater department? If so, are you coordinating with them? 

The national V-Day campaign (www.vday.org) created both events and is tying them together.  The Vagina Monologues performances are being co-sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studeis Program (WGS Program) and Performing Arts at Oakton.

Has Oakton previously participated in either the "One Billion Rising" or put on "The Vagina Monologues"?

This is the first year for One Billion Rising for everyone world-wide, so it is an adventure.  This will be Oakton's seventh time presenting Vagina Monologues performances.

Are students taking a class or reading a book that addresses issues of violence against women?  

These issues are addressed in multiple WGS classes, including Intro to Women's and Gender Studies, Women and Creativity, Cultural Anthropology and Sociology of Gender.  Many students will be participating in these events in conjunction with their WGS classes.

How are today's young women are approaching and/or embracing this issue (violence prevention) compared to women of a generation ago--or even 10 years ago? 

I think even five years ago there was less awareness of issues of violence against women, but I find in the past few years many more young women (and young men) are coming into my class with a greater awareness of the seriousness of these issues and a stronger desire to do something about it.

Does anyone have a personal tale of survival that they have shared with the others participating in the play or the "billion" event?  

Tales of personal survival will not take place at the One Billion Rising events, but they are built into The Vagina Monologues performance and will occur there.

More information

What: One in three women will be beaten or raped during their lifetimes. Oakton Community College’s Women’s and Gender Studies Program is joining organizations from more than 160 countries around the world to participate in One Billion Rising, a campaign calling for one billion men and women to raise awareness about violence against women. At Oakton, students, faculty, staff, and community members will gather, dance, and sing “Break the Chain,” One Billion Rising’s theme song.

When:   Thursday, February 14, starting at 3:30 p.m. 

Where: The Main Lobby of the College’s campuses in Des Plaines (1600 East Golf Road), and Skokie (7701 North Lincoln Avenue).  

Highlights:

·           V-Day, a global activist movement dedicated to ending violence against women and girls, is coordinating the inaugural One Billion Rising event. February 14, 2013 marks V-Day’s 15th anniversary.

·           More than 75 participants are expected to take part in One Billion Rising at the College’s campuses. The event is free and open to the public.

·           V-Day continues at the College with three benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues, February 14-16, at 8 p.m., at Oakton’s Des Plaines campus. Proceeds from the staged reading of Eve Ensler’s powerful masterpiece will raise funds and awareness about the brutality against females.

·           More information about the world-wide campaign can be found at onebillionrising.org and vday.org.