Elgin Community College hosted The Long Red Line Event for the second time. The event took place in the Jobe Lounge on Feb. 14. With attendance from ECC students, faculty, and members of the Elgin community.

The Long Red Line Event is the event composed to support the campaign and global movement, One Billion Rising, founded by Eve Ensler back in 2012. The movement was created with the hope, and continues to exist, in an effort to end rape and sexual violence against women.
Long Red Line Committee Chair, Vicki Rae Harder-Thorne explains the importance and what the campaign represents.

“It began on Valentine’s Day 2012 as a call to action based on the UN statistic that 1 in 3 women and girls (over one billion) will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. People from 160 countries signed on to take part in the campaign, resulting in the biggest mass global action in human history to end violence against women,” Harder-Thorne said.

There were eight different speakers, several of them representing sponsors and other’s sharing their message. They all shared the importance of such event when their turn came to speak.

One of the speakers was Shla George, a current ECC student who is a published poet and performer. She performed her piece “Fairytale”. The poem tells of a woman who is in an abusive relationship, but does not accept it and makes excuses for her partner because they provide her with materialistic luxuries. Eventually, she realizes her worth and leaves the relationship before suffering any longer. The audience found her piece and message powerful and gave her a standing ovation.

The Art Exhibit Opening & Reception was part of the Long Red  Line Event but had occurred previously on Jan. 30. The exhibit is to be displayed in building C’s Library Hallway Gallery from Jan. 24 to Feb. 28.

“The 19 pieces hanging in The Long Red Line exhibit, located in the Library Hallway Gallery, are a compilation of juried work from ECC students, ECC alumni, ECC faculty, and local and distant community members who are passionate about The Long Red Line mission,” said Megan Highland, Student Life Coordinator at ECC.

“The exhibit brings awareness of the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual assault in our culture and the cruelty it inflicts, especially in light of current #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. Art can empower women to heal themselves and one another through sharing their stories, expressing their pain. For many people, visual art is more comfortable and authentic than words to support healing and connection with one another,”  Harder-Thorne said.

Guests were invited to visit the exhibit that day as some of the artists would be present to talk and answer questions.

To conclude the event the guests were invited to form the long red line with their scarves. The symbolism of this action is explained by Harder-Thorne.

“By joining the scarves together, our hands are extended in a long red line of solidarity, sharing support for the struggle against sexual assault and other forms of violence that women have endured for too long.  The Long Red Line symbolizes the red of blood and vitality, passion, and courage, sexuality, and aggression; the continuing struggle for women to be safe wherever they are,” Harder-Thorne said.

The event was well attended and some of the guests expressed their hope for the Long Red Line to continue to be hosted at ECC. Highland shared what she thinks such event contributes to ECC’s community.

“The Long Red Line raises awareness about the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual assault in our society. The presence of this event at ECC helps to provide a safe and supportive environment for the students, staff, faculty and the community to learn about and recognize signs of sexual assault and sexual harassment, to have a voice and to identify resources available at the college and in the community to aid in one’s healing process,” Highland said.