Occupy Mckeldin is an annual event created by our club, Preventing Sexual Assault (PSA), that began in 2016. This event is held on McKeldin Mall in order to raise awareness for sexual assault, and to let the administration know that we’re watching. This year Occupy Mckeldin will unfold virtually, with the theme of “Voice the Unheard”. Years prior we have had thousands of people gather on the mall to listen to speeches from sexual assault survivors and activists, as well as visit tables with resources and representatives from campus programs. However, this year will unfold much differently.
In 2019 we had the same theme of “Marginalized Voices”, but we did not feel as if we truly did it justice. Since this was before the pandemic, we were able to have Occupy Mckeldin on the mall and over 1,000 attended. We had many credible speakers such as; SAFE Center for Human Trafficking, NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Activism Chair, Maryland Coalition to Prevent Sexual Assault (MCASA), Men Can Stop Rape, The National Center on Violence against Women in the Black Community, a forensic nurse, Rachel Haines (gymnast champion, survivor of Larry Nasser), and Brittany Piper (renowned motivational speaker). We also incorporated activities, such as Jenga, coloring pages, writing letters to survivors, and kits made by Greek Life for the human trafficking SAFE center. We ended the day with a candlelight vigil for survivors, and released candles in the Mckeldin fountain.
In 2020 our theme was “Stop the Silence, End the Violence.” This was our first virtual Occupy Mckeldin due to the pandemic. This year our event entailed posting a letter or a story every hour on the hour that was written by one of PSA’s exec members or students on campus who have been victims of campus sexual assault at UMD. We had letters from our President and Vice President as well as student survivors. People shared personal stories and how events like Occupy Mckeldin have helped them.
In 2021 our theme will be “Voice the Unheard”. This year, our focus is on the healing process and the underrepresented victims of sexual assault. Occupy will primarily focus on male victims, LGBTQ victims, and BIPOC victims, with each subsect getting their own day of acknowledgement throughout the week. The week will be full of speakers, workshops, panels, self care activities, collaborations, and everything in between.
Our goal this year is to be able show that sexual assault can and should be talked about no matter what the status is in our world. We want to normalize this conversation by having a mix of virtual, stress-free and informative activities. We hope this new version of Occupy brings you peace, strength and new knowledge.
We look forward to seeing you there!
