SPEAKING
TOPIC:
More Than Our Stories: Reimagining Survivor Labor and Community Responsibility
TOPIC:
Power, Control, and Change: Reexamining How We Talk About Domestic Violence
TOPIC:
Rethinking 'Why Now?": Rape Culture and Survivor Credibility
MORE THAN OUR STORIES: REIMAGINING SURVIVOR LABOR AND COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY
In this provocative 60-minute keynote and Q&A, author and activist Sil Lai Abrams challenges the status quo approach to sexual violence prevention that relies on survivor stories to spur systemic change. Grounded in her lived experience and analysis, Abrams argues that while individual storytelling is a powerful tool for healing, going public is often re-traumatizing for survivors. In this presentation, Abrams calls on students and administrators to stop treating survivor labor as the primary driver of change and to build accountable systems of reporting, support, and prevention that address the root causes of sexual violence. She also unpacks the “myth of catharsis” promised by public disclosure and offers a practical roadmap for survivor-centered change that reduces pressure to publicly disclose, strengthens institutional accountability, and shifts cultural norms without requiring public testimony.
POWER, CONTROL, AND CHANGE: REEXAMINING HOW WE TALK ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
In this interactive 60-minute keynote and Q&A, author and activist Sil Lai Abrams weaves her personal experience as a survivor of domestic violence with the history of the anti–domestic violence movement to ground an interactive conversation about this global women’s health issue. Drawing on her work as a long-time activist, she invites participants to reconsider common assumptions about abuse, power, and control—and to explore how communities can challenge the gendered beliefs that sustain intimate partner violence.
RETHINKING 'WHY NOW?': RAPE CULTURE AND SURVIVOR CREDIBILITY
“Why didn’t they say something sooner?”
“Why are they coming forward now?”
“If no one was convicted, how can you call them a rapist?”
Rape culture shapes how institutions and communities respond to sexual violence. It often prioritizes doubt and sympathy for the accused over belief and support for survivors. It also shows up as blame-shifting that focuses on what someone wore, their sexual history, alcohol or drug use, their relationship to the person who harmed them, or whether they responded “the right way.”
In this candid, survivor-informed talk, Abrams examines how these myths affect disclosure and reporting, and what survivors risk whether they speak up or stay silent. Participants will leave better able to recognize rape culture in everyday reactions and respond in ways that center consent, safety, and accountability.