The
INSIDE Poetry reading
Downey woodpecker by George Willis
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Tracy Grammer to perform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
Edward sisters in concert
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VOLUME 37, NUMBER 16 • APRIL 22, 2014
Lopez Senior Project strengthens Awareness By Migael Scherer Special to the Weekly
Miriam Drahn wasn’t satisfied with the minimum requirements of her graduation project. “I wanted to go beyond a 12-page report on the subject of sexual assault,” she says. Using painting, photography, powerful language and the help of fellow students, she launched an awareness
campaign for the month of April – Sexual Assault Awareness Month – that she hopes will change hearts and lives. Drahn knew she needed eye-grabbing posters. She began with “I Use My Strength,” a phrase she encountered in her research, designing and painting 2-foot by 3-foot signs using her own state-
April 26th 2014 is National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day Lopez Island Prevention Coalition reminds everyone to
MIND YOUR MEDS and dispose of any expired, unused or unwanted medicines in the drop box located by the sheriff’s office behind Lopez fire station
ments. “I Use My Strength to Stand Against Rape” reads one against a swirl of color. Others include “I Use My Strength to Love, not to Hurt” and “I Use My Strength to Stand Up for Myself.” She then posed and photographed classmates holding the signs. The results are compelling: poster-sized photos of Lopez kids looking directly at the viewer, positive and powerful. Familiar faces, many of them athletes, challenging the rest of us to follow their lead. Each poster stops you and stays with you. Creating the posters was an awareness campaign in itself. Drahn made sure the students in the photos believed in the message, and were committed to respecting women, stepping up if they saw harm being done, and speaking up for themselves. She explained to them the long-lasting impact of sexual violence and the silence that surrounds it.
Lopez Center
Contributed photo
Lopez students, Chase Schober #22 and Vinny Kramer #40, hold a sign that reads “I Use My Strength to Love Not to Hurt.” “We’re kind of sheltered on Lopez,” Drahn says. “We’re blind to the reality and commonality of sexual assault. It becomes a problem when we grow up here and then enter the real world with this false sense of security the Lopez bubble can create.” Sexual assault is an under-repor ted crime, especially when perpetrated by someone known to the victim, as is most common in small communities. The trauma – with nightmares, flashbacks, depression – is longlasting. And it’s easy to buy into the myth that a woman is partly to blame if she’s been drinking, or that it’s okay for men to be aggressive on dates. What Drahn learned in
her research about the use of women’s images in advertising appalled her. “Women and girls need to be empowered and need
Live in Concert
Sunday, April 27th, 7:30pm
Tracy Grammer Modern Folk
Tickets at PSR, Lopez Book Shop, Blossom, lopezcenter.org. $15/adult, $7/youth
Our Buns are Back! Stop by and say hello!
Stop by and say Wed. hello! Opening April 3 Wed.-Sat. 7-5 • Sun. 7-4 Closed Mon. & Tues.
468-2133
Lopez Center Lunch by The Galley 12-3pm Music by Lucky Dawgs Beer Garden by LCCA • Raffle drawing of great prizes Check details or register at www.lopezisland.com •
to empower themselves if society’s views are going to change.” In addition to posters throughout the school, Drahn is handing out “I Use My Strength” wristbands and talking with students. She has arranged for Kim Bryan, assistant director of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Ser vices of the San Juan Islands, along with DVSAS’s new Lopez advocate Kristina Moen, to speak to Lopez High School students in May. Before graduation she’ll also present her paper to the public. Miriam Drahn, and the 45-plus students who were involved in her poster project, intend to leave a legacy of strength for the Lopez community.
Live in Concert
Sunday, May 4th, 7:30 pm
NEW! FRIDAY APRIL 25th 4:30-8pm at Lopez Center
THE BITE OF LOPEZ
Tapa’s style dinner items for sale by several of our local restaurants & chefs Eat in or take out • Early check-in for TDL riders Everyone welcome!
Soul, Blues, Rock Tickets Advanced $18/adult, $8/youth At the door $20/adult, $10/youth Purchase tickets at PSR, Lopez Book Shop, lopezcenter.org