Survivors Reclaim // Reclama

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In celebration of this year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), SARC presents “Reclaim//Reclama”, a publication highlighting the stories and artwork of survivors from all walks of life throughout the state of Oregon.

We have noticed over the years, that there are many voices and experiences that often go unrepresented during local SAAM efforts. This publication is an attempt to create an opportunity for those folks whose experiences go unrecognized to reclaim this space.

We’re honored that these artists chose to collaborate with us on this magazine and we are making it available for sale to help support the artists and SARC.

On Saturday, April 28th, there will be an event at Solace & Fine Espresso, featuring appearances by artists who contributed to this project. Join us, in community, to celebrate the beautiful work that made this project possible. Event details are on our Facebook page.

“Reclaim//Reclama” will be available for purchase at the event. Proceeds will go towards thanking the artists for their participation as well as support of SARC. If you would like to purchase a zine you can do so via the ‘Buy Now’ button below. If you are interested in ordering a larger quantity or would like to help with the sale of this project, please message us directly at info[at]sarcoregon.org. If cost is a barrier but you would still like to support artists and SARC please contact us directly at the same email address.

Reclaim_coverReclaim // Reclama

A collaboration with local artists showcasing visual art and the written word. Survivors supporting survivors through this collection of culturally diverse work. We have kept pieces in the language they were originally written in. We did not want any artists’ messages to get lost in translation. We hope this choice preserves the artists’ intention, culture, and artistic expression.

-24 pages
-printed on glossy presentation paper
-perfect binding
-$2 mailing charge will be added


Pay what you can



Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Being More Than Just “Aware”

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April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Read below for our volunteer, Jessie’s, take on how to be more than just aware!

 

“For those working on a cause they care about, the first instinct is often to make sure that as many people as possible are aware of the problem. When we care about an issue or a cause, it’s natural to want others to care as much as we do.”  -Stop Raising Awareness Already, Christiano & Neimand

 

People may confuse being knowledgeable about a health issue, like the ongoing epidemic of sexual violence, with taking action to address it. While awareness is a great first step, there should be a couple steps after it as well.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month should go hand-in-hand with a call to action. Part of our response to sexual assault should be finding ways to help. Awareness has the potential to break ground for productivity, teamwork, and more, but it does not do any of the heavy-lifting itself.

Let’s break down some language. Self-awareness is when you understand how your behavior affects and impacts other people. Self-regulation is making small or large adjustments to your behavior to change or alter the situation as a whole.

For example, self-awareness might look like someone acknowledging that slut-shaming women contributes to rape culture. The next step towards self-regulation could be that person actively interrupting slut-shaming when they hear it in their friend groups, or stopping themselves when they are tempted to slut-shame other people.

 

New rules for awareness? Learn, teach, and react.

 

Research has found that when people are simply given information, they are unlikely to change their beliefs or behavior. As a community, we must think actively about how to transition from awareness to regulation and change. One of the simplest things we can do to move forward from just awareness, is to educate. It is not enough to recognize that sexual assault happens far too frequently in our communities. By educating others and ourselves on topics like consent, privilege, rape culture, oppression, and bias, we can help our community understand what the root causes of sexual violence are, and take steps towards prevention.

As an organization built from advocates, SARC is seeking to inspire change in the public eye and community to move past just raising awareness.

Sexual assault is a terrible violation that affects many more people than just survivors. The entire system, our schools, our government, our entertainment, and more, is impacted by sexual violence. By making small changes in our personal lives and ourselves, we can change the way our culture responds to sexual assault moving forward.

Cooking Self Care Spotlight

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Self-care looks different for everybody. Read our volunteer, Frankie’s, blog about cooking as self-care below!

Food is the universal language of love. Many people love to cook, and all people love to eat. Some are passionate bakers; some prefer to stick to the savory.

My first experience cooking came courtesy of my mother. My father and brother were three hundred miles away for the weekend, and it was just us girls. On weekends like this, we made simple food. Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, farfalle noodles, and canned pesto sauce. I made the noodles while my mom picked the chicken clean. I wasn’t very sly when I pilfered the small pieces of succulent dark meat as she pulled them from the bones. These nights with my mom are the feeling I try to recreate when I cook. Time was suspended and the meal was always perfect.

I forgot about our special nights for years. When my partner and I moved into our very own house, he insisted on buying a new oven. With this purchase came a promise to myself: I will learn to cook. I didn’t have the talent of a great chef, but I could learn the techniques if I practiced. I would apply myself, hit the (cook) books, and I would be a Michelin star cook on a year.

That didn’t happen. However, now in year three, I can roast a very fine chicken. Along the way, I did surprise myself. I had grown to love cooking. It made me feel the way I did on those nights with my mother. I felt safe and warm, the way I felt curled up with my mom on the huge, blanket-covered couch at home.

Cooking made me feel capable. Never before had I had an urge to photograph and post food to my social media. Never before had I found beauty in vegetables, or observed the delicacy in garlic and sprigs of thyme. I had never felt the tragedy of throwing away sauce I had made with my home grown tomatoes. I am not ashamed to say that I shed a tear that day.

Cooking was always something others did for me. It was not something I aspired to learn one day, until we bought the oven. Now, coming home and preparing a painstaking meal is one of my favorite things. Sautéing onions until they are achingly silky is an empowering experience. Heating the pan, drizzling oil, and the decisive slicing of a knife into a carrot is an exercise in control. When I put all of the ingredients together in the right way, it creates something whole, new, and delicious. Cooking is a way to be completely alone, but still feel close to my family. The experience of making something that both fills my body and nourishes my soul is my way of caring for myself. It really helps that it tastes good, too.