Kennesaw State’s Office of Victim Services held a “Take Back the Night” event for students to share their stories of abuse on Wednesday, April 18, in the Legacy Gazebo outside of the Social Sciences building in honor of Sexual Assault and Alcohol Awareness month.
Joyce Reed, owner of an Atlanta non-profit named Hurt 2 Heal that helps bring awareness to sexual assault, spoke at the event and shared her own experiences as a survivor of sexual abuse.
“By looking at me, you wouldn’t be able to tell the things that I’ve been through,” Reed said. “Everyone out here has a story, but not everyone has the courage to speak about what they’ve been through. It’s not something that you just share.”
According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, there are, on average, more than 320,000 victims of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States.
“The person next to you could be a victim. Someone they know could be a victim. You don’t know, so it takes one person,” Reed said. “And that’s why I am here to be the voice for other people.”
Reed spoke not only about her experience with rape and sexual abuse but also with violence, homelessness and suicidal thoughts. She spoke about how she rose up from these experiences and got to the place she is at today.
“I am not ashamed of what I’ve been through. I can’t be ashamed of what I’ve been through, it’s not my fault,” Reed said. “I once thought that it was my fault because that’s one sign of trauma. That’s the trauma that you deal with after an assault.”
Reed said she has published two books about her experiences and the stigma surrounding sexual abuse in our society. The books are titled “Hurt Used to Live Here” and “Speechless No More.”
Reed is also part of the Sexual Assault Response Team committee in Cobb County, and she is a volunteer at LiveSafe, an organization located in Cobb County that “provides services that increase the awareness and reduce the occurrence of domestic violence, sexual assault and elder abuse,” according to its website.
After Reed spoke, she opened the floor for students attending the event to share their own stories. Two students who wished to remain anonymous spoke about their experiences with violence, stalking, emotional and physical abuse and assault.
The students attending the event then picked up maracas and marched around the Kennesaw campus, shaking the maracas and making noise to draw attention and bring awareness to sexual assault.
The Office of Victim Services also had tables set up at the event with gifts for students such as “Take Back the Night” shirts, key chains and pens. They also had pamphlets available for students to learn more about the services that the OVS and LiveSafe provide to students on and off campus.
Students can report instances of sexual assault or abuse to the KSU police department or by submitting a concern form at concernn.kennesaw.edu.
The OVS lists several resources on its website for students who have struggled with or are currently struggling with sexual assault or abuse. Victims seeking counseling can also make an appointment with KSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services located in Kennesaw Hall.