Charlotte Bailey '16/Photo credit: Tricia Wang '15
This past Sunday, June 22, The Sacramento Bee published an opinion article by CMCer Charlotte Bailey ’16, on the topic of sexual assaults. Links to her thoughtful article have since popped up on Twitter, adding to the dialogue on an important issue faced by countless schools and institutions across the country.
A link to Bailey’s opinion piece follows. But first, in her words, is her reason for writing it:
CMC: What was your motivation in writing about sexual assault? Bailey: Both of my parents are journalists, so the written word has always been an endorsed medium of expression. But the piece was really motivated by this past year at Claremont McKenna. As I said in the article, our students and faculty really stepped up to address this issue, and it showed. Students were talking about it on CMC Forum; speakers came to the Athenaeum. It was great. Of course I started thinking and reading about the issues too, especially during the height of #yesallwomen on Twitter. As I read, I began to realize that so much of this discussion is women speaking up, and men remaining silent. I thought about my experience with my male friend speaking up for me, realized that it was far too rare, and wanted to say something about it. So I wrote the piece.
CMC: What have the responses been like? Bailey: They have been overwhelmingly positive. The comments from my male peers have been the most touching by far. If I was hoping to connect with anyone, it was them. All I can hope is that it gives men and women the courage to step up and address these issues more often.
Read Bailey’s article: Why do solutions for sexual assaults focus on the victims?