Dedication Ceremony to celebrate nation's first, permanent Memorial to Survivors of Sexual Violence 

On October 10th, 2020, we hosted a virtual dedication ceremony to celebrate the creation of the Memorial to Survivor of Sexual Violence, which is located in Boom Island Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Victims/survivors and allies celebrated the completion of the nation’s first, permanent, public memorial to honor survivors of sexual violence. Keynote speakers included Tarana Burke, activist and founder of the Me Too movement, and V (formally Eve Ensler), activist, author and playwright best known for "The Vagina Monologues." 

Sarah Super launched the initiative for the memorial to honor survivors of sexual violence in 2015, only weeks after her ex-boyfriend broke into her home, hid in a closet, then woke her at knifepoint and raped her. He was sentenced in Ramsey County to 12 years in prison for his crime.

The Memorial, built in Boom Island Park in Minneapolis, was inspired by the hundreds of stories survivors shared with Super after she publicly identified herself as her ex-boyfriend's rape victim. Super was also inspired by the work of Dr. Judith Herman, one of the country's leading experts on psychological trauma and abuse.

“When I first spoke out about being raped, a lot of people said and did nothing. Their silence taught me that there is no such thing as a neutral response to sexual violence. A response will either be hurtful or healing. Silence is not neutral. Silence supports the perpetrators and never the victims," states Super.

"The Memorial is one way community members have taken a stand and voiced their support for those who've been victimized. Our goal was to break the silence and respond to sexual violence and rape culture as a community in solidarity with victims/survivors."

The Memorial design team includes: Sarah Super, landscape architects Joan MacLeod, Rachel Blaseg, and Jennifer Germain of Damon Farber Landscape Architects, and mosaic artist Lori Greene of Mosaic on a Stick. 

The design includes a circular seating area, three 12' panels of mosaic, and a surrounding landscape. The circle of benches is intended as an invitation for dialogue. The mosaics symbolize that broken pieces can be put together to create something whole and beautiful. The ripple effect seen in the seating platform and extending into the landscape signifies the multiplying power of survivors' voices; when survivors tell their stories, they unconsciously inspire other survivors to tell theirs, who inspire others to tell theirs.

Notable donors to the Memorial include Gloria Steinem, V (formally Eve Ensler), Nora McInerny, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and the law firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates.

Thanks also to: JE Dunn - memorial construction; Propel Nonprofits - fiscal sponsor; and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.