BLINN STUDENTS RAISE AWARENESS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Blinn College students took a stand to raise awareness and end worldwide violence toward women Thursday afternoon.
Students from various campus organizations, including students from the Division of Humanities and cheer and dance team members, spoke with students passing through the College’sBrenham campus Student Center about the dangers of sexual assault.
The event was held in conjunction with One Billion Rising For Justice, a worldwide campaign launched to help raise awareness and bring justice to women who have been sexually assaulted. Friday, Feb. 14 is One Billion Rising’s worldwide event calling for women and men to rise, release, dance and demand justice.
“We have to make people aware and let them know what’s going on because a lot of people don’t know,” sophomore Leanne Kelley said. “Just because it’s not happening to you doesn’t mean it’s not happening.”
According to statistics from One Billion Rising, 44 percent of rape victims in the United States are under 18; every year, more than 200,000 people are sexually assaulted in the U.S., or one about every two minutes; and 60 percent of sexual assaults aren’t reported to the police.
Sophomore Liesl Hardin wanted to make her voice heard.
“As a woman, I’m very concerned about this,” she said. “That could be my mom, my best friend. It’s very important that we support awareness so other women won’t be affected.”
The event was sponsored by Humanities Professor Mark Bernier.
Blinn enrolled 18,413 students this Fall and has experienced 31.1 percent growth since 2006. Founded in 1883, the College’s tuition and fees average about one-third the cost of the same classes at most four-year public universities in the state. In addition to its campuses in Brenham, Bryan, Schulenburg and Sealy, the College teaches online courses, dual credit for high school and prepares students for quick employment through its career and technical certification programs. For enrollment information and to learn about financial aid opportunities, visit: www.blinn.edu.
Story and photo courtesy of Blinn College.
