Co-written by Sarah Dixon and Abigail Cooper<\/p>\n
HU Brave is a social media movement on Facebook and Instagram which serves as an avenue to raise awareness about sexual assault in the Harding community. Senior Caitlyn Denison was the catalyst behind starting the site with the support of Director of Academic Resources Stephanie O\u2019Brien.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something that will not only help me but will also help other people so I just took the plunge,\u201d Denison said. \u201cIt\u2019s awkward at first to put something so personal about you out there, but it\u2019s also very freeing and empowering at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
HU Brave was started this April to coincide with Sexual Assault Awareness month and the university’s efforts to partake in it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want people to see that it happens to us – not in an effort to scare them, but to let survivors know they are not alone,\u201d O\u2019Brien said. \u201cSomething that I think has plagued society, and Christian communities especially, is the isolation and shame associated with sexual assault. \u00a0We desperately want people to know that not only are they not alone, but that there is hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
They want people to realize rape and sexual assault are far more common than anyone wants to admit. \u00a0O\u2019Brien said the statistics are \u201crepulsive and truly petrifying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI choose to be public with my story because it is beyond empowering for me to do so,\u201d said O\u2019Brien.\u00a0\u201cI want people to look at me and the joy I possess and know that I endured a violent rape. I pray it gives people hope. \u00a0I pray it communicates to other survivors that they can still love the Lord and be successful and have a beautiful life. \u00a0It took me years of being quiet to realize that the only way I could overcome was to share it. \u00a0So for the past six -seven years, I have been very vocal about my story. \u00a0I want the Lord to be able to use it and redeem it as much as humanly possible. \u00a0When I got to share it during chapel last October, it was one of the most awe-inspiring moments in my life because I knew God was taking what Satan intended for evil and using it for the glory of His kingdom and I was truly delighted to be a vessel for that. And I still am.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denison said she has received positive feedback from alumni and faculty wishing they had this when they were a student. HU Brave features testimonies from students, faculty, staff and alumni who have been raped and\/or sexually assaulted. \u00a0Those sharing their stories choose whether or not they do so anonymously.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat alone lets me know that coming forward was right, because we are calling out the problems,\u201d Denison said. \u201cYou just can\u2019t keep silent. Silence is violent sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denison is working with the deans to create a campus wide network of advocates for safety and awareness. She hopes to create a support organization by next semester.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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