Oklahoma Tribes Unite for Sexual Assault Awareness Through Art and Culture

Campaign aims to bring awareness to American Indian women that are disproportionately affected by sexual violence

OKLAHOMA – April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and this year the Native Alliance Against Violence will be coordinating a poetry themed social media campaign to give a voice to survivors and community members that have been affected by sexual assault. Each poem shares the same topic, but illustrates the vast differences in personal experiences.

“The poems submitted are powerful and demonstrate the different levels of healing and emotions sexual assault survivors and their loved one’s experience”, said Shelley Miller, Executive Director of the Native Alliance Against Violence. “So many of our relatives have experienced sexual violence, it is hard to find individuals who have not been affected by this epidemic. Native women are 2.5 times more likely to experience sexual assaults than any other race, so it is important for us to create safe spaces for survivors to have their voices and stories heard.”

Art can be an incredible healing tool, and storytelling has always been part of Indigenous cultures. Spoken word can have a profound effect on audiences, evoking emotion and empathy for those that have experienced trauma. By sharing and recording dramatic readings of submitted poetry, the Native Alliance Against Violence hopes to increase awareness of sexual assault and its widespread impact on tribal communities.

This event is normally held onsite at one of Oklahoma’s tribal headquarters, however, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, organizers of the event decided to share the submitted poetry as an online only campaign.

“We may be miles apart at this time, but that will not keep us from supporting each other”, said Miller.