The University of Utah Women’s Resource Center          PRESS RELEASE
200 South Central Campus Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84112                                       
Phone: 801-581-8030                                    
FAX: 801-581-6402

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

3/21/08
Salt Lake City, UT

In support and recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, The Rape Recovery Center, along with the UCASA and the Women’s Resource Center, are offering two events on April 4^th  at the Rose Wagner Center for Performing Arts to kick off the month of events in the Salt Lake City community. Join us as we conduct a 2-part workshop from 9: 00 – 11:45 am, entitled Healing Through Works: Sexual Assault Activism. This workshop is hosted by Dr. Salamishah Tillet , and will provide insight on how sexual assault activism and victim rights advocacy serve as pivotal moments in sexual assault recovery. The second workshop, Beyond Black & White: Race, Rape and The Popular Culture, will look at recent high-profile cases using feminist theory, critical race theory, cultural studies, and legal scholarship to better understand how race, gender, class and sexuality shape public perceptions of both sexual assault victims and assailants. This workshop will be hosted by Scheherazade Tillet, MAAT & Dr. Régine Jean-Charles. The workshops will be followed by the SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH (SAAM) Awards Luncheon at Noon. Registration is required and a $25.00 donation is requested per person.

At 7:00 pm that evening there is a free performance of “SOARS: Story of a Rape Survivor”. SOARS is the story of one woman's journey to reclaim her body, sexuality, spirituality, and self esteem after being sexually assaulted in college. Performed by a diverse cast of women and featuring photographs taken by her sister, SOARS uses modern dance, spoken-word, and music to educate the public about sexual violence and to ease the shame, guilt, and self-blame with a story of hope and healing. This performance is Free and Open to the Public.

The workshop and evening performance are offered by A Long Walk Home, Inc. a non-profit organization in Chicago dedicated to using art therapy and the visual and performance arts to document, to educate, and to bring about social change and healing from trauma. Scheherazade Tillet is the executive director of and the photographer for A Long Walk Home. Tillet  received her B.A in Child Development and Studio Arts from Tufts University. She has studied photography at the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts and Rutgers University Mason Gross School of Arts. Scheherazade believes that music, modern dance, West African dance and spoken word poetry in conjunction with her photographs will convey the complexity and beauty of the healing process. Salamishah Tillet is the co-founder of A Long Walk Home Inc. and the writer and the program director of A Story of a Rape Survivor (SOARS).