This "V-Day," Violence is Challenged

Statistically, one billion women who are alive today will experience physical or sexual violence. This shocking figure catalyzed the creation of One Billion Rising, an organization that endeavors to revive global sisterhood and demands that the outrage of women and men alike be heard. One of the cornerstones of the movement is V-Day events, events conceived of by One Billion Rising that are carried out by various groups around the country and that range from dances to walkouts. The events aim to increase awareness and raise money for causes benefiting victims of violence toward women. On March 14, the Girls’ Education Initiative, a feminist group associated with the Graduate School of Education, elected to host a V-Day event in Longfellow Hall. The event consisted of readings of monologues from “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer,” an anthology of stories and other writings that concern violence against women. The anthology was edited by Eve Ensler, the writer of “The Vagina Monologues,” which is a well-known series of monologues that address the feminine experience.

The group actually considered performing the “The Vagina Monologues,” but ultimately decided that “Memory” was a better choice. “It’s fresh,” says LaJoi Royston, a student at GSE who performed the monologue “In Memory of Imette.” This was particularly important as the Master of Ceremonies, GSE student Erin Murphy, indicated that the experience was not intended to be comfortable. The first three monologues dealt with particularly disconcerting material—gang rape, murder, and the condemnation of young girls to brothels—and were delivered by actors who became visibly upset during their performances.

Though none of the first three monologues were delivered by men, “Untitled,” which concerned a Cambodian brothel, was written by journalist Nicholas D. Kristof. The action of men, as it turned out, was actually a pivotal component of the night. The performance bridged the gender divide through the use of three male actors in addition to the eight female ones. “I was really honored in particular [by] the three men who chose to join us as well, and it was really special to me to have both men and women participate,” says Julia Ando, a GSE student who delivered the monologue “Club.”

One of the goals of the night was indeed independent of sex: to raise funds to aid the one billion women of the organization’s name. Ando believes that everyone has a reason to contribute to the cause. “Violence against women unfortunately is something that affects all of us,” she says. In addition to the action that One Billion Rising hopes to incite, Harvard’s V-Day event took donations to the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center.

The positive effect that assistance can have on victims also became a central part of the evening. “I was compelled by [my character’s] hopeful recollection of a story of…a bad day that became a better day as time went on and as somebody intervened,” Ando says. This hopeful attitude was underscored by the event’s media crossover: a short video piece featuring women rebelling from violent and oppressive events, such as female circumcision and domestic abuse. The event culminated in the actors, no longer in character, sharing why this movement was of personal significance and everyone, audience and actors alike, standing, holding up One Billions Rising’s symbol—a single finger pointing up.

People involved in the production this year were optimistic about V-Day events being held at Harvard annually. “I that this show will be done in future years at Harvard, and I hope that it will be a way for us to all come together and do some positive things as a result,” Ando says.