Silence and Violence: Speaking Out and Taking a Stand

 

WATCH EVENT VIDEO!

 

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EVENT RESOURCES:

Kent State Center for SRVSS (Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services)

Safer Futures

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FACILITATOR AND PANELISTS:

FACILITATOR:

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Anne Reid is retired from Kent State; her last position there was Director of Academic Services in the College of the Arts.  She is currently active with the Kent League of Women Voters,  the Portage County Democratic Party and the non-profit Recycle Pots and Pans. She was a founding member of the first domestic violence shelter in Portage County, WomanShelter. 

 

PANELISTS:

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Emani Mickens is a student worker at the SRVSS center, focusing on peer outreach, Green Dot, and our Masculinity Initiative. When she graduates she's hoping to continue studying conflict resolution and counseling at a graduate program closer to home and eventually land a job in the Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office. The experiences she's had volunteering and working at the SRVSS center has inspired her to pursue this as a career option.

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For more than 10 years, Donya Buchanan has been a leader and an advocate of domestic violence movements in Portage County, Ohio. Donya has served on the Board of Directors for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network since 2015 and has co-chaired the Women of Color Caucus and currently chairs the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. ​

Native of Aberdeen, Mississippi, Donya received her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Kent State University and is currently working on her Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.  Donya’s current role is the Director of Domestic Violence and Visitation Services at Safer Futures, Portage County's only domestic violence shelter and resource center. 

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Rachel Dissell is a current John S. Knight Community Impact Fellow and a member of the Cleveland Documenters team. She reported for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland for more than 18 years where her investigative pieces that changed laws, policies, hearts and minds.

Reinvestigating Rape, a series with reporter Leila Atassi, led to the testing of nearly 14,000 rape kits and the investigations of decades old cases that followed. Since then, defendants in nearly 800 cold cases in Cleveland have been indicted in previously unprosecuted rape cases. Researchers have built on the project’s early discoveries to redefine our understanding of serial rape in Ohio and beyond.

In 2019, Case Closed, a series with Andrea Simakis, explored the systemic failures of Cleveland police through the experience of a woman who had to solve her own rape. The story won the 2020 Dart Award for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma. 

For the past decade, Dissell has trained law enforcement, nurses and advocates for End Violence Against Women International and the National Center for Victims of Crime. She also has taught emerging journalists at her alma mater, Kent State University. Dissell, a Kent State Journalism graduate and former executive editor of The Daily Kent Stater,  lives in Cleveland with her husband, Tim, three children, two dogs and a tortoise.

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Serving as the Director for the Center for Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services is not only an honor for Jennie but also a passion. Since 2012, Jennie has provided oversight for the university’s prevention education, awareness, and advocacy support around power-based personal violence. As the director, Jennie is responsible for staff supervisor and operations of SRVSS, as well as developing strategic goals to educate students and support survivors. 

Jennie has successfully written and received over $1,000,000 in grant funding to assist Kent State in developing a model for a comprehensive community response around education, awareness and support. Finally, Jennie serves on several university level initiatives including the co-chairing the Culture of Respect Leadership Team and the Coordinated Community Response team.  These initiatives are leading efforts related to university response and the prevention of unwanted sexual experiences.