[Content note: some descriptions and links mention sexual violence.]
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. To commemorate this month, we want to recognize courageous AAPI activists working to end sexual violence within their communities. Below are four such activists who have risen to national prominence.
Emma Sulkowicz
Emma Sulkowicz rose to prominence in 2014 with their senior-year thesis project at Columbia University. After surviving sexual violence, Sulkowicz carried their fifty-pound mattress with them throughout the academic year until graduation in protest, ultimately calling into question Columbia’s ability to hold perpetrators accountable on campus.
You can read more about Emma Sulkowicz and how their queer identity intersects with their identity as a survivor and an activist here.
Sohaila Abdulali
Activist and author Sohaila Adbulali has been working to end sexual violence for over two decades throughout the United States and India. Her latest book What We Talk About When We Talk About Rape is both a compilation of stories from survivors and also a critique of how social structures respond to sexual violence. She was also BARCC’s first full-time staff member in the ‘80s!
You can read more about Sohaila Abdulali here.
Chanel Miller
Known initially as “Emily Doe” in the widely-covered Brock Turner sexual assault case, Chanel Miller has grown into an outspoken advocate against sexual violence. Her memoir Know My Name chronicles her experiences with the criminal legal system and the subsequent aftermath.
You can read more about Chanel Miller here.
Connie Chung
In 2018, news anchor and journalist Connie Chung wrote a public letter supporting Christine Blasey Ford at the height of the Brett Kavanaugh judicial confirmation hearings. In the letter, Chung disclosed sexual violence that had been done to Chung several decades ago and applauded Blasey Ford for speaking up about her experience. The act itself demonstrated the power of solidarity in the #MeToo movement.
You can read Connie Chung’s letter here.
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