MGC Statement of Solidarity with Sexual Assault Survivors:

August 2020

*Trigger Warning*

The Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) at the University of Michigan and our member organizations were founded on a mission to develop leadership, encourage academic excellence, promote service, and provide a space for people of color to celebrate not only multiculturalism as a whole, but also our individual cultural backgrounds and identities. We hold all of our members to a high standard and expect every action to be carried out with intent, respect, and dignity in order to represent the core values that we uphold as a community.

In response to the recent allegations of sexual assault within our University of Michigan community, the Multicultural Greek Council would like to show our solidarity with all survivors. We do not condone any forms of sexual abuse, assault, or violence in any way, shape, or form. We are remorseful in seeing that many of the accused perpetrators of this violence are leaders and members of our Fraternity and Sorority Life community and various other organizations across campus. We condemn the actions of the assaulters who have corrupted these environments which were intended to be spaces of safety, empowerment, and growth.

Furthermore, the women who came forward with their stories of sexual assault are exceptionally brave. We would like to thank the survivors for taking action and speaking up to bring accountability and justice to the University of Michigan campus. We believe you.

Therefore, MGC believes that we, as a part of the University of Michigan community, must advocate for broader societal changes to create a culture of consent rather than putting faith in a criminal justice system that so often is rooted against women. Women must have the resources for social, health, and general wellbeing to assist them regardless of whether or not they choose to report to the police. We must teach consent holistically to young people and encourage bystander interventions while actively standing out against the victim-blaming and shaming that is still all too common. Women must have access to education, employment, and housing to ensure they can make decisions that encourage and support their own sexual autonomy and bodily integrity. The Multicultural Greek Council will continue to advocate for needed reforms and urge a focus on a prevention and intervention framework to create a greater shift towards a proactive societal understanding of consent and sexual assault.

As the Multicultural Greek Council, we reaffirm that abuse, in all its forms, holds no place on our campus. Thus, MGC is committed to guaranteeing that these forms of abuse will be eliminated from our community. We thank all survivors for your bravery in stepping forward with your stories and will hold the perpetrators of this violence accountable. We stand with you, and we believe you, always.

Resources:

Campus Resources

National Resources