Across the country thousands of students, activists, and public leaders joined together Wednesday to haul mattresses over their heads wherever they went to call for an end to sexual violence on college campuses.  The actions were inspired by Emma Sulkowicz, a student at Columbia University, who is carrying her dorm mattress everywhere she goes until her rapist is expelled or leaves Columbia.

As part of the organizing and promotion efforts of Columbia students, more than 130 events took place as part of the October 29th National Day of Action to Carry That Weight.
 

The powerful visual of carrying a mattress and pillows as an act of protest demonstrated the collective responsibility our communities share for supporting survivors of rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence.  These are responsibilities that are currently being shirked by our colleges and universities as demonstrated by the Department of Education’s ongoing investigation of more than 55 institutions of higher learning for mishandling sexual assault and rape allegations.

The protests taking place on campuses across the country including Stanford University, Iowa’s Drake University, Oregon’s Pacific University, and hundreds of others schools, called on their administrations to support sexual assault survivors and take assault cases seriously when filed.  

Fission is proud to support the Carrying The Weight Together campaign with logo design and campaign strategy support.

Photos courtesy of "Carrying the Weight Together" Facebook.