Please join us on Monday, September 21 at 6pm in International House (3701 Chestnut Street) for the 2015 Judith Roth Berkowitz Endowed Lecture in Women's Studies featuring SOARS (Story of a Rape Survivor).

SOARS is an award winning multimedia performance that entertains as well as educates the audience about sexual assault prevention. Featuring the music of Nina Simone, Maxwell, and Sade, SOARS tells one woman’s story about how she reclaimed her body, sexuality, and self-esteem after being sexually assaulted in college. SOARS is a cutting-edge theatrical experience that stars a diverse cast of women, combining photographs, dance, spoken-word poetry and music as a way to educate about healing from sexual violence. The ultimate aim is to show that the shame, guilt and self-blame that rape victims too often experience can be eased; that the stories of rape survivors can be one of triumph and hope. 

SOARS is a program of A Long Walk home, Inc. (ALWH), an organization co-founded In 2003 by Penn English Professor Salamisha Tillet and her sister, Scheherazade Tillet. It the only organization in the country that uses art therapy and the visual and performing arts to end violence against women and girls.  ALWH partners with rape crisis centers, universities, high schools, and state coalitions to provide innovative and inclusive programs for underserved communities. Through national and local programs, multimedia performances, summer and after school youth institutes, campus trainings and workshops, ALWH has educated over 100,000 survivors and their allies to build safe communities and end gender violence. 

Co-Sponsors: The School of Social Policy and Practice, The Annenberg School for Communication, the Departments of English and Political Science, the Center for Africana Studies, Penn Violence Prevention, Makuu, and Penn Women's Center

This event is free and open to the public.