"Raped at Spelman" Twitter Handle Calls Out College's Victim Blaming
Victim blaming is a problem at Spelman College in Atlanta, says one sexual assault survivor who anonymously tweeted this week to announce she was leaving the school. A Twitter user with the handle "Raped at Spelman" accused the prestigious women's college, which has been ranked the number one historically black college in the nation, of failing to adequately and swiftly address her assault, which occurred at the school:
I went to a party with my friends there were alot of people there and it was really fun so we decided to drink with the upperclassmen.
surrounded by 4 Morehouse students who took me to another room and took turns raping me. I was in shock about what had happened.
drinking under age. The Dean also said that Spelman & Morehouse are brother & sister so I should give them a pass. I never felt so worthless
The account continues here.
In 21 tweets, Raped At Spelman highlights t h e epid emic of se xual a ssault a t HBCU s as w ell as pre d ominantly white colleges a cross the nation. But at black instit ution s like Spelman a nd its brot herly counterpa rt, Moreho use College, t he college community encourages black women to vigorously defend the image of black me n. It's an unspoken understanding: The quest for racial justice trumps the need to call out bad — even criminal — behavior within in the community. This makes substantive conversations about rape and gender discriminat ion to ug her to hav e.
Raped At Spelman has recei ved many messages of support from current students and alumni of Spelman, Morehouse and other HBCUs. More than 1,780 people had followed the Twitter account as of Wednesday morning.
In an email, college President Mary Schmidt Campbell said the school was investigating the accusations made by the creator of the Twitter account. "Our hearts go out to this student and I want to personally offer her our full support and assistance," Campbell said Tuesday. "We are a family at Spelman and we will not tolerate any episode of sexual violence. No student should ever have to suffer and endure the experience she has recounted on social media."
In an April statement commemorating national Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Campbell told Spelman students that combating the climate of sexual violence remained a "high priority" for the school. She also announced that students had formed a Sex Discrimination Student Commission, which would advise and collaborate with the administration on issues related to safety and equity for men and women at Spelman
The organizing around sexual assault at Spel man come s just a few m onths af ter fed eral officials responded to student complaints about how Spelman and Morehouse respond to incidents of sexual violence. Last November, the U.S. Department of Education announced that the schools were among more than 150 colleges under investigation for allegedly mishandling reported rape cases.
Spelman, Morehouse and Clark Atlanta University, a third HBCU in Atlanta, hosted Vice President Joe Biden last year as part of the "It's On Us" campaign to prevent sexual assault at colleges. Months later, the Raped At Spelman Twitter account suggests the problem has been slow to change.
Watch Mic's interview with Biden on how to end the rape crisis plaguing college campuses:
