https://infograph.venngage.com/ps/7fhO7z7zq4/saam_final

Link to Infographic about Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Racquel Francis

ENGL 21003

May 11, 2020

Professor Killebrew

Virtual Field Study #2

This infographic is about the public awareness campaign of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) that falls in the month of April. The efforts of the organizations associated with this campaign was officially declared in 2001. The fight for social awareness and justice began in the 1940s to the 1950s paralleling the fight for equal rights in the Civil Rights Movement. Women like Rosa Parks challenged the level of discussions regarding sexual assault and developed a campaign the Committee for Equal Justice for Recy Taylor to support her assailants in 1944. Pre-bus boycott Parks advocated for justice and the pursuit of investigations of rape cases for survivors alongside the NAACP. Her efforts demanded the security and accountability of Recy Taylor and the other bodies of African-American women. Within 1971 the first Rape Crisis Center opened to assist survivors, leading to the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape opened giving the momentum for more centers to open and provide similar services to prevent sexual violence. Following the Take Back the Night Event, in 1993 the Violence Against Women Act was set into legislation. Ultimately these efforts led to the birth of SAAM in 2001 and allowed for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center to raise visibility, spread awareness of how to prevent sexual violence and all forms of violence towards women. The audience for the infographic is Women because it is important to have knowledge of these accessible resources for others that may have experienced harm.

I chose this topic for the infographic because of my own experience with Sexual Assault, and it is uplifting for me and my journey with sexuality to learn about the efforts of women creating spaces and policies to reduce new cases, hold individuals accountable, and overall support survivors. I was assaulted three years ago and it had a very negative impact on my mental health, primarily it was very difficult to talk about with others. However, it is very easy for me to share my story with others not as a victim but as a survivor, educator, and supporter of other women who have experienced this form of assault. It was quite simple to pick a topic for this infographic because this is a cause that resonates with my previous experiences and it was exciting for me to learn more about legislation that protects women as opposed to perpetuating the narrative of women as weak and fragile. It is important to highlight both perspectives of a social issue, however, in order to liberate oneself of a form of oppression it is imperative to change the narrative related to it. The purpose of this infographic is not only to inform about Acts of protection but highlight successful moments that Women of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center were able to accomplish throughout the decades. Also, it show’s the importance of collaborative efforts between organizations, how different languages can increase engagement, and overall awareness. This is a hybrid between an informational and a timeline infographic because it highlights key information of social groups and activism over the span of 1994 to modern-day. The setting of this infographic is in the early 1940s to modern-day in America, the turning point in history was in San Francisco in 1971 when the crisis center opened because the Take Back the Night Event took place at the same location. 

All in all, it was a pleasure to make this infographic and highlight key moments for the history and autonomy of women.