Content Warning: This arti-
cle contains mentions of sexual
assault.
The University of Michigan’s
Sexual Assault Prevention and
Awareness Center’s (SAPAC)
37th annual survivor speak-
out began with a moment of
silence Sunday night. About
70 U-M community members
came together at the Michigan
Union’s Pendleton Room to
share and listen to stories from
sexual assault survivors. The
crowd fell quiet as attendees
paid respect to those impact-
ed by sexual assault but were
unable to attend the speak-out.
The theme of this year’s
event was “Metamorphosis.” In
the spirit of the theme, attend-
ees were invited to write anon-
ymous positive messages and
affirmations for survivors on
butterfly-shaped sticky notes
and attach them to a poster.
“Thank you for sharing,” one
note read. “You are so brave
and I believe you.”
All
the
lights in the
Pendleton
Room were
dim, but the
space
was
aglow
with
fairy lights and glow sticks
held by each of the guests, who
waved them in support of each
speaker instead of applauding.
Speakers
shared
poems,
affirmations
and
stories
addressing their experiences
with intimate partner violence,
sexual assault, stalking and
the long-term impacts of sex-
ual violence on mental health.
Anonymous submissions were
also read aloud by SAPAC vol-
unteers. To protect the pri-
vacy of the speakers and at the
request of event organizers,
The Michigan Daily will not be
publishing any quotes shared at
the event.
In an interview with The
Daily, LSA senior Thiany Rid-
dihough,
co-coordinator
of
SAPAC’s Survivor Empower-
ment and Ally Support program
(SEAS), said it was important to
allow survivors to participate
in any way they felt comfort-
able.
“I think the real significance
of this event is allowing survi-
vors
to
come
and
be
in
a
space
where they don’t have
to
share,”
Riddihough
said. “They’re not required to
do anything, but they can sit
with people in the community
they know that feel love for
them, feel empathy for them,
and where they can feel com-
fortable to share their story if
they want.”
Multiple
attendees
addressed the emotional trau-
ma that accompanies experi-
ences of sexual violence. They
described feelings of isolation,
anger, shame and grief, as well
as struggles with mental ill-
ness.
LSA senior Zoe Lainis, co-
coordinator of SEAS, told The
Daily that creating a safe space
on campus for survivors to
verbalize their stories is more
important than ever.
“It’s just to know you’re not
alone … on this campus,” Lai-
nis said. “We’ve had a lot of
issues at this University with
sexual assault, and so (the
speak-out) reinforces that you
are supported.”
News
Wednesday, April 20, 2022 — 3
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
‘You’re not alone’: SAPAC hosts 37th
annual survivor speak-out session
SAMANTHA RICH
Daily Staff Reporter
Annual event hosted at Michigan Union, attendees participate in
‘Metamorphosis’ theme
Read more at
MichiganDaily.com
The Sikh Student Association
(SSA) hosted around 100 Uni-
versity of Michigan students and
community members Sunday
evening in the William Monroe
Trotter Multicultural Center to
celebrate Vaisakhi, a Sikh holiday.
The event was co-sponsored by
the Office of Multi-Ethnic Stu-
dent Affairs (MESA), and indi-
viduals of all religious identities
were encouraged to attend.
The Sikh faith is a monotheis-
tic religion, meaning that follow-
ers of Sikhism only worship one
God. Equality among all of God’s
creations regardless of race or
social standing and the freedom
to choose and practice religion
freely are core beliefs in the Sikh
faith.
Sikh music filled the room
throughout Sunday’s event, and
attendees were treated to a tra-
ditional Sikh dinner. The menu
included cha, mango lassi, samo-
sas, paneer and Gulab Jamun, a
solid milk-based dessert.
LSA senior Ramneet Chauhan,
SSA co-chair, said Vaisakhi is a
multifaceted event for her student
organization. She said Vaisakhi
is both religiously and culturally
significant for those who identify
as Sikh.
“For Punjabis, this event is a
Harvest festival, and for Sikhs, it is
the birth of the Khalsa, which is a
festival set by Guru Gobind Singh
in 1699,” Ramneet Chauhan said.
“Basically, we are celebrating both
the religious side and the cultural
sides for this event.”
The SSA members gave a pre-
sentation to the audience about
the Sikh religion throughout his-
tory and into the present day. Sikh-
ism is currently the fifth-largest
religion in the world, with about
25 million followers worldwide.
Sikhism centers around the idea of
oneness within humanity, equality
for all and Seva — the act of selfless
service and helping others without
personal gain.
LSA sophomore Gurleen Chau-
han, who will be co-chair of the
SSA board next year, shared an
informational presentation about
the holiday. Every year on April
13 or 14, Vaisakhi commemorates
Sikhism becoming a recognized
faith, Gurleen Chauhan said. Dur-
ing the first Vaisakhi festival, Guru
Gobind Singh challenged any Sikh
to give his life for their faith. Five
men went with him, and when
they returned, they were made
immortal by the Guru’s baptism
ceremony, Gurleen Chauhan said.
Sikh Student Association celebrates
Vaisakhi night with traditional dinner,
martial art performances
SEJAL PATIL
Daily Staff Reporter
Community gathers at Trotter Center commemorating the Sikhism faith
MADELINE HINKLEY/Daily
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