CRCC’s Work in Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day January 14 2022
The start of the New Year is a time for looking towards the future with a sense of promise for what’s to come, but it also offers the opportunity to reflect on our past.
As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Dr. King’s life and work serve as a continuing reminder of the power we all have to help affect change in our communities, not just on this day of remembrance, but every day of the year.
Martin Luther King’s enduring legacy of fighting for the dignity and rights of every human being is at the heart of our mission at CRCC.
Specifically, I see our organization’s pursuit of social change reflected in the words of Dr. King’s 1963 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” in which he wrote:
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
This belief that when one person is denied justice, we all are denied justice is what CRCC’s advocacy work is predicated on.
Sadly, many survivors of sexual assault still don’t get the support they need today. This is especially true in our Black communities.
According to a 2018 report published by The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community:
- For every Black woman who reports rape, at least 15 Black women who have been assaulted do not;
- 1 in 5 Black women are survivors of rape;
- 1 in 4 Black girls will be sexually abused before the age of 18; and
- Black girls and women 12 years and older experience higher rates of rape and sexual assault than white, Asian, and Latina girls and women.
The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many others have only served to sow more distrust causing survivors even more trepidation and hesitation to come forward to report instances of abuse.
Just as Dr. King changed the world by speaking up for the suppressed and subjugated among us, CRCC is working tirelessly to end the silence surrounding sexual violence so that we may help erase its stigma.
By coming together to take a stand against injustice, we can all help ensure tomorrow is a brighter day for survivors of sexual assault in our communities.
Be Well,
Sondra Miller
President & CEO
Cleveland Rape Crisis Center