April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and Our VOICE, Buncombe County’s rape crisis center, has planned a host of events. The group served more than 1,000 individuals last year with counseling and crisis intervention, case management, medical and court accompaniment, and prevention and education programming. The message? Join the community in raising our voice against sexual violence.
The schedule:
• Thursday, April 9: “Got Consent? A Look at Gender Stereotypes and Sexual Violence,” brown-bag lunch-and-learn session from noon to 1:30 p.m., MAHEC, 501 Biltmore Ave. (257-4400).
• Thursday, April 9: Film night at Asheville Pizza and Brewing Co., Merrimon Avenue. Screening of two documentary films: Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes by Byron Hurt and War Zone by Maggie Hadleigh-West, starting at 9:30 p.m (254-5339).
• Saturday, April 10: “Hey Baby! Resisting Sexual Harassment in Public Spaces, One Bloque at a Time,” exhibition of works about sexual harassment on the street. From 7 to 10 p.m. at Bookworks, 428 1/2 Haywood Road (255-8444).
• April 16: 9th Annual Survivor’s Art Show and Auction. Artwork created by survivors in order to support and honor their experiences and unite our community against sexual violence. Art, refreshments, music and a silent auction from 6:30 to 9 p.m., Pack Place, 2 Pack Square.
• April 20: Screening of No! The Rape Documentary, 7:30 p.m. at the Firestorm Café and Books, 48 Commerce St. (255-8115).
• April 30: Theatre of the Oppressed workshop on street harassment. Facilitator Taryn Strauss leads workshop on dealing with street harassment and other forms of sexual oppression, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Our VOICE, United Way, 50 S. French Broad Ave., conference room 3.
• Month-long events include: the Intention Flag Project (in partnership with Arts2People), with flags created by survivors and allies displayed along Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville. Bar Outreach on Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault is a project of volunteer advocates working to raise awareness in downtown bars about the issue of drug-facilitated sexual assault, to foster safer spaces at local bars and encourage community members to increase personal and community accountability.
For more information, call Our VOICE at 252-0562 or visit www.ourvoicenc.org.
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