DASI Event Blooms with Support
By Catarina Cruz
College Hill Writer
For the 27th year in a row, SCCC takes a stand against sexual and domestic abuse.
Photo submitted by Cheryl Conway
The Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault Intervention Services, also known as DASI, hosted its 27th annual Clothesline Project at Sussex County Community College in Newton on April 16, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The event was held to show support for survivors of child abuse, domestic and sexual violence. Multiple organizations also set up tables to explain the resources they provide to the community.
Survivors who are part of DASI’s programs designed a plethora of T-shirts, which were hung up around the Student Center on SCCC’s campus. These carried various messages, from support for survivors to calling out the actions of abusers and emphasizing the need for justice.
Prevention programs are run by Shannon Larrow, DASI’s Prevention, Education and Outreach coordinator. With only one other member in her department, Larrow is in charge of creating presentations and running events.
Larrow is often present at many of these events and within the community, seeking to raise awareness about these issues and provide avenues for those who need aid. She is also in charge of reaching out to schools and common partners to run such events.
SCCC is one of these partners, sharing its campus to help host events such as the Clothesline Project in April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the Candlelight Vigil in October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Other partners of DASI include Birth Haven, The Center for Prevention & Counseling, The Department of Child Protection and Permanency, Ginnie’s House, Mental Health Association, Project Self-Sufficiency, and Zufall Health. Each was present and had a table at the event, offering information on their various services.
To encourage visitors to learn more about what services are available to the community, DASI set up a free raffle. Attendees were able to collect stamps from each table and trade them in for raffle tickets. Overall, it was an effective method to increase engagement and drum up conversations throughout the hall.
At 5 p.m., DASI and Ginnie’s House began the ceremony by reading each organizations’ proclamations and welcoming everyone.
DASI’s first speaker was Executive Director Athena Storm, who reminded everyone of Denim Day on the last Wednesday of April, a day intended to stand up against victim blaming. It was created after a 1992 case in Italy, when a rape conviction was overturned when the court ruled that wearing jeans meant the clothing was difficult to remove and thus implied consent.
“We are here today because silence is no longer acceptable,” said Storm. “We are here to demand better.”
Going on to describe DASI’s history in brief, from its founding in 1984 to its ongoing work today, Storm emphasized the organization’s support from a multitude of other agencies.
“DASI stands at the intersection of compassion and action,” she said.
“To all the survivors in the audience,” continued Storm, “whether your story is on the line or still locked in your heart. You are seen, you are loved, and you are never, ever alone. You are not what happened to you. You are what you have chosen to become in that aftermath.
“That is the powerful thing that lies in all of us,” she concluded. “This work is heavy. It takes so much of us. We are not powerless, we are not voiceless and we are not done. I ask you to feel the strength. The strength of every survivor, of every advocate.
“Let us carry this strength.”
