0:33:16.5 LP: Great. And for our next question, the blog not only featured significant happenings and milestones within the movement to end sexual violence, but it also recognized events that brought about pivotal shifts in public consciousness from the uncovering of widespread abuse by clergy, to Jerry Sandusky being found guilty, to Emily Doe's viral Victim Impact Statement, International Women's Marches, and the resurgence of the MeToo Movement founded by Tarana Burke. Can each of you take some time to reflect on some of these milestones and how you witnessed them impact our work? And Karen we'll start with you.

0:33:58.2 KB: Sure. Well, one of those that really stands out for me, probably partly because it happened in Pennsylvania, was the conviction of Jerry Sandusky. And this was one of the first high-profile cases that remained in the news for an extended period of time and was covered from a number of different angles, which helped illuminate for people the complexity that's so often present in sexual abuse cases. It also helped illustrate the many possible points of intervention that could have stopped the abuse much earlier. And so as I've thought about this case, I've identified at least three elements that helped us educate the public about child sexual abuse.

0:34:41.9 KB: First of all, something that shocked so many people at the time was that Jerry Sandusky was a beloved and trusted leader in the community. He was well-liked by many, he was seen as being a role model and an advocate for children, and this just did not match up with the picture that many people have in their heads about the kind of person who sexually abuses children. Kind of like Nancy and Yolanda mentioned earlier, people tend to think of the stranger danger or that someone who would do this would be scary or look like a monster, and that's just not true. So people had a hard time reconciling this kind of cognitive dissonance, and yet it did help us illustrate that any type of person could potentially be a child abuser, and that you cannot tell by looking or by whether you know someone or you like them. Instead, you have to understand the dynamics and watch for specific red flag behaviors, which were abundant in this situation.

0:35:46.4 KB: And the second thing that this case helped us to reveal more clearly to people is the powerful role that bystanders can play in either allowing abuse to continue or in stopping it. So, many people knew that Jerry found opportunities to be alone with children, even in the locker room, in showers, in hotel bedrooms, but they either chose not to confront the situation, or they were not taken seriously when they did. And the beloved Coach Joe Paterno, for example, he ignored or minimized the behaviors which he saw, and he later said that he regretted that, and it in fact caused a stain on his own reputation at the end of his career and his life.

0:36:29.5 KB: And then the third thing is that the investigations into Jerry Sandusky's long-term sexual abuse of children highlighted the role that institutions and organizations play, and their responsibility to be informed, thorough and vigilant in their attention to safety and protecting children. So several leaders at Penn State University were determined to be complicit in allowing the sexual abuse to continue for so long, and the institution itself was financially liable. So this helped usher in a new opportunity, if you will, for prevention advocates to work with organizations as well as individuals. And I actually ended up doing several workshops about this case when it was going on and shortly after, because it was an example that many people were familiar with, and it highlighted so many points that we had been trying to make for years but that people had a hard time believing or understanding without a story to really illustrate the dynamics.

0:37:35.0 LP: Nancy, it'd be great to hear from you.

0:37:37.3 NH: We know that every public event impacts our movement in some way, some actually help move us forward in our work, and unfortunately some seem to push our advances back, so I'm glad that we're talking about the positive shifts today, and one that I think has had maybe the greatest impact in a rural state, such as West Virginia has been the resurgent MeToo movement, and I think probably that's been because the MeToo movement has had almost a subliminal call to action. I think it really emboldened survivors to come forward and stand together, and as a result, what we saw in West Virginia, and I think it was true nationally, is we saw an increase in the number of victims seeking services, increase in the numbers reporting their assaults to law enforcement, and an increased conversation. I think that movement really challenged so many of the standard myths that a lot of the naysayers in public have had about the prevalence of sexual violence in our society. I think it challenged a lot of the stereotypes and a lot of the victim blaming, I think it was some of the same core issues that Karen mentioned, that when you saw such a large number of victims from so many different walks of life stepping forward, not in the courtroom, coming forward outside of the courtroom, and it's just hard to deny the prevalence and the facts that our movement's been saying for years.

0:39:16.0 NH: During that time, we had our annual sexual violence, domestic violence day at the legislature, and even though we have the days together, we usually had our own little separate themes, and we obviously used at that time the MeToo movement, and it was just kind of amazing to watch that bled over into every other activity at the legislature that day, because MeToo involved so many people. So you saw the domestic violence advocates stepping forward and acknowledging the MeToo that had happened in their lives as well. So I believe that that increased awareness for us resulted in increased legislation being passed in our state, including that year Sexual Assault Victims Bill of Rights. It was a very simple message that I think had a really profound impact.

0:40:13.3 LP: Alright, and Yolanda it would be great to hear from you.

0:40:16.5 YE: Yes, I also... Because I came into the work full-time officially with NSVRC in 2017, which is the same time as the MeToo Movement. That was so profound to me. So major, not just in my professional life, but also in my personal life. That was the first time that some people... I would be at the gym and someone wanted to... As soon as they knew where I worked at they wanted to talk to me about their experience, and we would sit in the locker room and sit and talk and really talk, person to person and just have this connection, and it changes the experience working at NSVRC during the MeToo Movement, also helped to change that stereotype of what a victim looks like, or what people think a victim should look like, because you don't know. You don't know who's a victim, what has happened to a person in their life, and I think that also because of that, and it opened up a conversation in different fields of work, so that takes me to the Time Magazine Person of the Year coverage with The Silence Breakers.

0:41:41.3 YE: So it's the image with all different people on there, but it's a specific image on that cover that calls me to pause in conversation, and it's a person with their back turned and you can't see their face, because to me, that described the person that we're talking about that doesn't look like this person, or you don't know what has happened, and they may not ever wanna talk to you about it, they may never go into one of our centers to get services. So that left me with a thought, are we creating a space for that person to be able to access our resources? Are we bridging that gap or are we making that gap bigger? And with the resources for NSVRC, that's always been in my head coming on, Are we accessible? Can everyone reach us? What if someone doesn't want us to know who they are, and all those different things came in, when I looked at the magazine cover, I was at the grocery store in line and I just stared at it. I don't really buy magazines, but that magazine I purchased because it just automatically just stuck in my head as in we think about re-imagining our next steps in us moving further along in the work that, Are we reaching folks? Are we connecting with people? 

0:43:11.9 YE: So that's where my thought goes, as we move towards the end of 2017 and thinking about the MeToo movement. It started a huge conversation and people getting to come together and talk about sexual violence in a way that hasn't been a part of my history. So it's like, where do we go from there? And that magazine cover did that for me it's like moving us forward in my thought process of where we're going next in this movement in the sexual violence field. And with our prevention messaging and in our access to our resources, that's always what's played in my mind with that particular moment in the last 20 years, which would be the beginning moment of my career.

0:44:01.8 LP: To wrap up our conversation today, I'd like to ask each of you to look toward the future of our organization and movement. 2020 was a devastating year in countless ways, and it was also the year we planned to celebrate NSVRC's 20th anniversary together in person, maybe even with balloons, a teal cake, some fancy cheese and jazzy music, and although it was the year that no one expected, I'd love to know what keeps you hopeful, looking at the road ahead of us, and we can get started with you, Karen.

0:44:32.5 KB: Thank you for the question, Laura. I do see encouraging signs, and I do hope to have some of that teal cake one day. The first thing I thought of when you mentioned this is that when I started at NSVRC back in 2000, people just weren't talking about sexual violence. There was a lot of silence, shame, victim-blaming, it was basically a taboo subject, and very few people who were causing harm were held accountable, and no institutions were. But thanks to the work of persistent advocates, better informed Media and the Me Too movement as Nancy and Yolanda, so aptly articulated, many people are now talking about sexual violence, so that's the first necessary step towards prevention, and that gives me hope.

0:45:23.7 KB: And then also just thinking specifically about the last year with COVID-19, one thing is that sexual assault victim advocates were deemed to be critical workers. And I'm not sure that would have been the case even 10 years ago. And also, we now all have the common experience of COVID to draw upon when talking about sexual assault prevention, so there are many things that individuals can do, there are places where policies and resources are required, it's not enough to just protect ourselves or our loved ones, we as a larger society are all in this together, and we all bear responsibility for looking out for the common good.

0:46:08.2 KB: So much like the Jerry Sandusky case provided a story to illustrate the dynamics of child sexual abuse, I think the COVID pandemic provides us with common experiences to talk about prevention, including the prevention of sexual violence, which is sometimes just really difficult for people to understand.

0:46:28.2 LP: And Nancy.

0:46:30.4 NH: I agree with Karen that COVID has been a learning experience for the field this past year. I often say to our rape crisis centers that we have to work to stay relevant to make sure that we are providing the best services and the best prevention efforts, and I think COVID identified where some of those gaps may be. And I think it's an example of how our field really rose to the challenge, we made major pivots by transitioning to virtual services and virtual prevention efforts, and I think it was a major pivot on most of our parts too and a learning curve that went along with that. We saw a lot of other systems and businesses struggle with that, but I think our field really did what needed to be done at the time, and in some cases, I think we brought along with us some of the more reluctant systems in that process. I had a call this morning with our court systems, and we're now working on a journey to implement virtual services throughout the state for our victims accessing in the criminal justice system.

0:47:38.1 NH: So I think the end result is a system that's forever changed, and it's one that ultimately has reached more victims and a wider prevention audience, but I also think this work is a marathon, for 40 years now that I've been forced to think about that, Laura... It's a marathon, it's not a sprint. And I think when you talk about a marathon and a relay race, each of us has passed a baton in that process, of a race, in a relay, and each of us then bears a responsibility both to survivors that we're serving and also to changing the systems and our culture to prevent future victimization. So I think in the future, it's critical for our movement to be open to change, to work to be inclusive and accessible and to embrace opportunities, even though at times they may appear more as challenges. I personally have never experienced such a large number of diverse individuals and organizations wanting to engage in this work as I have in recent years, we now have folks choosing this as a career choice, we have advocates who say, This is how I want to spend my career, we have sexual assault nurse examiners who look at this as a profession, which didn't even exist when I started in this field. So I think we need to harness and really channel the energy and encourage and mentor their passion in this work.

0:49:12.5 NH: And this describes not only the work in the field in general, but also I think the staff at the NSVRC. I envision the NSVRC continuing in its leadership role in this movement by helping frame conversations, by building the capacity of potential allies and continuing to help all those on the front lines to be their best selves in this work. So when I first started in this work, we were really isolated in this field, and that's just not true now. So I see the NSVRC's role as needing to continue to be that glue that helps keep us together as a movement, as we really collectively work to address and end sexual violence.

0:49:56.1 LP: Thanks Nancy, and it would be great to hear from you, Yolanda.

0:50:00.5 YE: Throughout our conversation today, I've been wowed and awe, my mouth has been dropping open on all the things that I've learned... While working at NSVRC, and specifically on this call about the history as we move through the Sexual Violence Movement, so thinking about the future, I think Nancy let me write in on where we're going with NSVRC in continuing to build our allyships and our partners throughout, not only the sexual violence field, but also outside of our field. Because really, we can't prevent sexual violence or end sexual violence if all of us aren't a part of it. As difficult as that is and as... Sometimes those low scratches and bumps that will get along the way, it's the only way, in my opinion, that we can really end sexual violence and prevent more victimization. We can't do it by ourselves, and with the different things that's happening in the world, and we're starting to really change, I think for a while now, change our thought process about prevention and as Karen connected very well with the pandemic and that prevention is possible.

0:51:14.6 YE: And one of those specific things I always say, You're wearing a mask to not only help you, but also to help others, consent is the same way. We ask for consent, that's also for ourselves and also for the other person, it's a good connection across over just one thing that you're doing changes so much for not only you, but the other person. And to remember that conversation as we build into another field or making connection across fields and not siloing ourselves where we have all this great information and knowledge and education, and now it's so awesome to see fields, especially corporations say, Oh, we need that expert, we need that expert. Come sit on our advisory council, come sit on this project with us so that we can tap into the knowledge that you've gained all this time and put that knowledge out into a broader field audience. And I see that's one of the roles with NSVRC, is continuing to move that dial forward of making the connection in our reach broadening throughout the years within different systems.

0:52:35.9 LP: Thank you all for taking the time to speak with me today. I have treasured the opportunity to hear from each of you. Listeners, I hope you've enjoyed coming behind the scenes with us and hearing first hand from three dedicated leaders who have all played an invaluable role in our organization's journey over the past 20 years. You, of course, also need to thank each of you out there listening for your support of NSVRC in our progress towards our mission.

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