America’s First Memorial Honoring Survivors of Sexual Violence

• In Event: Critical Perspectives on Victims and Perpetrators

Abstract

The Survivors Memorial, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States, is a sexual violence survivor-led, public space dedicated to elevating public discussion on sexual violence and harm worldwide. To date, the Survivors Memorial is the first physical space dedicated to all sexual violence survivors and stating the importance of public acknowledgement of sexual violence for victims and community members. Through the Memorial’s location in a public park, the space is simultaneously a passive, sustained sexual violence awareness effort for those passing by and a space for intentional critical community dialogue and private reflection. To better understand how memorials generally and the Survivors Memorial specifically function as sites of awareness, education and prevention in communities, the authors surveyed over 80 visitors to the memorial site and conducted follow-up in-depth interviews with 20 of those visitors. The data provides insights into how one community utilizes a memorial as a site of healing for survivors of sexual violence and as a tool for awareness, education, and prevention for the broader community in which it is located, shedding light on a global crime that all nations struggle to find a just response to.

Authors

• Alexa Sardina, California State University Sacramento

• Nicole Fox, California State University Sacramento