#MeToo
On June 6th, 2015 my soul was disturbed. My life changed and I was never the same. Approaching my senior year of undergrad I was raped by a fellow student, a monster who was unwilling to hear the words No which i said multiple times decided he was going to take matters into his own hands and violate my body to a degree that would leave me questioning my existence, sanity, womanhood and more. The following is a paper where I reflected on my story after watching a documentary that I suggest everyone to watch: The Hunting Ground. “it’s not on you,it’s on us.” -Barak Obama “The Hunting Ground” is an immensely detailed movie about rape culture on campuses and my opinion is that it is not taken seriously. Take back the night- On June 6th,2015 I was raped by another student from Morgan State . My Story: I knew him, he wasn’t a stranger. I met him one night through another friend and began hanging out- a couple times in my apartment and our mutual friends. One night he invited me over to his house and I went- we watched a couple of videos and talked about an array of topics, learned about him a little. The energy in the room began to shift as the videos started playing less. He started inching closer and closer until I felt uncomfortable, I told him I had to leave soon and he told me he wanted me to stay. I explained throughly numerous times that I couldn’t and he became angry, I texted my friend shortly after to find an escape route. In the text I told her to call me,fake a flat tire and say that she needed my help and I was the only one who could help - he didn’t acknowledge this notion at all. Shortly after the phone call he began to touch me, not stopping although I asked him to immediately pleading to help my “stranded friend” in freight. These words barley express the true feeling I had that moment. The following details are not something I can relive as I write this paper- I keep all of my papers and wouldn’t want to come across reading this when I finally move forward. “88% of women do not report rape on college campuses”. I did not report and this is not a report- this is an explanation of how I relate to the documentary. I went to the hospital two days after this happened and one of the doctors first questions were if I was high or drunk or on any other drug. When I went to my check up the only evidence they had was my toxicity levels- not the emotional process of the rape kit I underwent. I felt more discouraged at that moment to report, it wasn’t taken seriously- I wasn’t battered physically, I didn’t scream, I didn’t run I let him finish in fear of being damaged physically, I didn’t go to the hospital immediately. I didn’t feel empowered to fight through the process of proving my story, reliving that night and facing the consequences of him not being found guilty or having to face him in court. If he was arrested I wouldn’t be satisfied, that night will never leave my memory. Can you imagine? the summer of graduating senior year going into a field where you’re supposed to advocate for clients to be protected and you weren’t able to protect yourself. This topic isn’t discussed in class- how may you help a client through something you’ve been through except giving that client to another social worker. Through watching this documentary and seeing the student athletes receive no punishment for their acts it sickened me, more so the women in the positions that were allegedly “counselors” for rape victims. Women are taught to dress appropriately when out, don’t have too much to drink, if you were ever interested in him “No” is invalid and when it happens to you what could you have done differently. This documentary is eye opening and relatable; it is interesting that the title “The Hunting Ground” is used because sexual assault is not the only thing that is hunted upon on college campuses. Attending Morgan, in an urban city which I’ve never lived in before has allowed me to understand that in college towns college students are preyed upon for many different things.
My story is not the only one on Morgan’s campus and I hope after reading this women find the courage like I’ve found today to understand that it is not our fault and there is a way to move past this.
