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The Vagina Monologues was sponsored by the Departments of Communications,
History, Political Science and Sociology and the Office of Developmental
Programming at John Carroll University.
Violence
is an epidemic that plagues women in our country and all over the world.
On our campus this past semester we are aware that at least five female
students were sexually assaulted by fellow John Carroll University students.
While these sexual assaults outraged many JCU community members, they
also revealed an under-lying culture where women feel guilty, ashamed,
and personally responsible for sexual assault. This makes the fourth annual
JCU benefit performance of The Vagina Monologues especially poignant
and critical.
In our efforts to challenge existing beliefs, attitudes, and behavior
towards women, a significant event is this benefit performance of The
Vagina Monologues. The play, based on 200 interviews, contemplates not
only the horrors of violence against women but also what can bring healing
to them: birth; sex; humor about one’s body; and talking, at long
last, about past hurts. The play shows women that “vagina”
is NOT a bad word, and is NOT something of which to be ashamed. The play
celebrates women, and discusses issues that many women experience, but
never felt they could talk about. At the same time, the campaign raises
money for institutions committed to stopping violence against women.
In seven years, the National V-Day movement has raised over 25 million
dollars. Last year, the spot light on Missing and Murdered Women In Juarez
Mexico raised over $120,000 for local groups working in Juarez with the
families of the murdered women and those that provide direct services.
In 2003, the spotlight on Native American and Canadian First Nations Women
raised nearly $100,000 to support the opening of a safe house in South
Dakota. In 2002, the spotlight on Afghanistan raised over $250,000 to
aid in opening schools, orphanages, and to provide education and healthcare.
This year’s spotlight is Women of Iraq, Under Siege. John Carroll
is giving 10% of the proceeds to this spotlight, and the remaining proceeds
to the Domestic Violence Center of Cleveland.
The Vagina Monologues, unfortunately, has been
under scrutiny in Catholic Institutions. Our response to this criticism
is best summarized in an article published for the National Catholic Register
on May 21, 2004, written by Demetria Martinez:
“Some Catholic administrators are calling the monologues “vulgar”
and “offensive to women.” You could say that about parts of
the Bible. But that shouldn’t detract from the larger narrative,
which has revolutionized lives. And this is precisely what the monologues
are doing for so many women today.”
The degree and severity of abuse towards women and girls is staggering.
According to the Department of Justice, at least one in every three women
around the world have been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused
during her lifetime. However, only 39% of rape and sexual assaults are
reported to law enforcement officials, about one in every three. Also,
nearly one third of American women (31%) report being physically or sexually
abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives. On average,
more than three women are murdered by a husband or a boyfriend in this
country every day. The Vagina Monologues in no way compares to the vulgarity
of these crimes against women that it aims to stop.
Many people who are opposed to the monologues feel that the play does
not belong in a Catholic institution. However, The Vagina Monologues is
congruent with the mission of John Carroll University. John Carroll’s
mission statement says:
“The educational experience at John Carroll University provides
opportunities for the students to develop as total human persons. They
should be... able to make a commitment to a tested scale of values and
to demonstrate the self-discipline necessary to live by those values;
alert to learning as a life-long process; open to change as they mature;
respectful of their own culture and that of others; aware of the interdependence
of all humanity; and sensitive to the need for social justice in response
to current social pressures and problems.”
This year, John Carroll University as well as: Loyola Marymount University;
Saint Mary's College of California; Stanford University; Trinity College
of Connecticut; Wesleyan University; Yale University; Georgetown University;
DePaul University; Northwestern University; University of Notre Dame;
Purdue University; Johns Hopkins University; Boston University; Harvard
University; University of Michigan; Dartmouth College; Princeton University;
Cornell University; Duke University; University of Akron; Ashland University;
Ohio University; Baldwin-Wallace College; Bowling Green State University;
University of Cincinnati; Case Western Reserve University; Ohio State
University; University of Dayton; Hiram College; Kent State University;
Marietta College; Oberlin College; Miami University; University of Toledo;
and 595 other colleges across the United States is hosting a benefit performance
of The Vagina Monologues…
In other words, we are not alone; we have good company in this campaign.
We hope you will respect our efforts and join us in this on-going battle
to stop violence of any kind, particularly violence against women. We
urge you to visit the V-Day website and learn more about our cause, at
www.vday.org.
“Go further. Work harder. Believe deeper. Be bolder. Speak louder.”
-Eve Ensler,
V-Day Artistic Director and Founder, Playwright, Performer, and Activist
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