In January 2016, Cassie Hanlin went on a first date with a man she knew from mutual friends. “He just said he wanted to hang out and get to know me better. We ordered a pizza, grabbed a couple beers, started talking, and then things started getting fuzzy. And then I started blacking out.” When Hanlin woke up, groggy and confused, she was in his bedroom. “I was stuck in that room for five hours. There were multiple points I thought I was going to lose my life.”
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Saving Grace, a local nonprofit organization, is hosting Take Back the Night — a virtual event streaming straight to your smartphone or computer. This online event will bring awareness to sexual violence and provide a space for survivors and their experiences. “We’re here for all survivors,” said Saving Grace Executive Director Cassi MacQueen. “The truth is, you likely know someone who was raped or sexually assaulted, but you just don’t know it.”
For survivors like Hanlin, it only takes an instant to become a statistic. According to the CDC, one in five women will be raped at some point in their lives. “I said ‘no’ and it happened anyway,” Hanlin said. “Looking back, I realize what a significant part that [statement]was because at the time, I thought it was my fault.”
Hanlin remembers a volunteer from Saving Grace coming to the hospital with a gift — a quilt that she still has today. “I was so glad she was there. I felt so alone. She said everything I needed to hear, like, ‘It’s not your fault. You’re going to get through this.’” Soon after, Hanlin joined a Saving Grace support group. “I was trying to be as invisible as possible, but eventually I started opening up slowly and it became my safe place.”
“A person I trusted from a safe community had violated and broken my foundation, my understanding of what I knew to be true in the world. I didn’t know who I could trust after that. Everyone was a secret agent and I didn’t know who was going to strike next.”
COCC is providing promotional support for this online event, as the original event was scheduled for April 3 at the COCC track. “A life without violence is crucial to students successfully pursuing their academic and career goals,” said Alicia Moore, vice president of Student Affairs and Title IX coordinator. “COCC is deeply committed to providing a healthy and safe learning environment for students, which includes supporting them should they experience any form of sexual violence, assault or harassment.”
Bringing light, standing in solidarity, and connecting during this difficult time, is the purpose of this year’s virtual Take Back the Night event.
What: Take Back the Night Online Event (Free)
When: Friday, April 30, 6:30-7pm
Where: Online at saving-grace.org/TBTN
