On September 26th, I attended a presentation by the famous YouTube personality, Laci Green. She discussed what rape culture is and how we can “take it down.” Laci Green started her presentation by defining rape culture and presenting some startling facts such as 1 in 7 gay men and 1 in 3 disabled women are sexually assaulted. She presented us with a few montages of news clips in which we were to discover the pattern that the rapists are sympathized and often charged with little to none punishment for the crime despite the proof that victims presented. She then discussed how society does not like the term “rape culture” because it sounds negative and people believe rape to be common and tolerable, which completely made sense after watching the several news stories on different cases. She also discussed the fact that although it is against the law for universities to not follow through on investigations on rape cases, many universities do not and are now being investigated themselves because of this.
This was a very beneficial presentation to go to as a college student and the atmosphere of the packed Falcons Nest was supportive of this whole issue. I think this presentation impacted me as a multicultural educator by bringing awareness to this whole culture that was there, but under my radar. Now that I know how big of an issue this actually is, I feel like I can now be prepared to provide resources for students and families in a situation like this. I feel like I’m more prepared to answer questions (in an appropriate way) that students might have about this topic. I actually came away from this presentation and wanted to learn more, which will be beneficial as I grow and enter school districts because I’ll want to know what each school district is doing about this societal problem. As a teacher, I feel that the benefits of dramatic play are extremely important especially with gender roles. I plan to provide an environment where my students will be able to explore these gender roles safely. Finally, after seeing this presentation, I feel that it is important to teach children that they have their own rights, including the right to choose who touches them. Children are sexually abused as well and after seeing Laci Green’s presentation, I feel very passionate about protecting my future students the best that I can.
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