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The Invisible War, directed by Kirby Dick, is an investigative look of the the epidemic of sexual assault and harassment in the US military. For our action project, we used this film as a resource to raise awareness of this extensive problem of sexual assault against women. The Invisible War focuses on the structured and organized methods to cover protect the perpetrator over the victim, the lack or resources for the victims emotional and psychical care, the flawed justice system, and how many women were forced to give up their careers while the perpetrators' continued to move up and sometimes be rewarded. Showing this film on campus at Northern Illinois University, we influenced students and staff to participate in cultural and political change both on campus and outside of academic. Help take action by contacting your senator today. Help fight for their justice by passing the Military Justice Improvement Act. This bill will reduce the power of the commander and give the victims an experienced trial. This exposes the unseen problems that threatens our troops. We hope it is informative and inspires viewers to join the movement and work for change.
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Above is the link for our flier that we spread around campus. Jarvis Purnell helped distribute them throughout the Military Services building. Fliers were the most effective way for us to reach the student body. We also posted information for our event on our class email.
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Spread Truth. Hear It. Speak It. See It.
Overall, we were very pleased with the outcome of our screening. To get more of an idea how much our classmates knew. We conducted an survey consisting of six questions: 1. What was your knowledge before the film 2. How do you think the film handled the subject 3. Is the epidemic something you need to worry about 4. How much did you learn 5. Does the topic need more media coverage 6. What was the effectiveness of the film on raising awareness For the most part, the class mates knew very little about the subject prior to watching the film. The survey shows that the film did an adequate job of portraying the epidemic that is going on in the US Military. Everyone agreed that the topic was well portrayed and the epidemic is something we all need to help end. |
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After the screening, Javier and Sarah held an small open-ended discussion. This was intended for us to learn more about the reactions of our classmates and how effective the film was. We displayed our website and started off the discussion with some more information. Although, the crowd was small (a little over 10 people) the discussion was heated and it was clear that this film evoked an emotion. The crowd that came was more than we expected and we were very excited about the outcome. We developed progressive ideas to help promote change in the justice system within the Military. Through helping to pass Military Justice Improvement Act and better resources for the affected victims. We also discussed reasons why sexual assault was prevalent in the Military through male entitlement and the dynamics of rape related to violence over the actual sex act. The discussion was very informative for our group and seemed to be a good outlet for out classmates after watching such a graphic and powerful film. Overall, it seemed like our classmates were impassioned and raged by the victims stories and the sexist nature of the Military.
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