America’s First Memorial Honoring Survivors of Sexual Violence

Over the past two decades, America has taken part of a broader global trend of “memorial mania” in which memorials dedicated to remembering injustice have exploded into public space. Memorials that facilitate the centering of marginalized narratives of violence hold significant power for social change. This webinar focuses on one such space: The Memorial to Survivors of Sexual Violence in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Drawing on 21 in-depth, qualitative interviews with individuals involved in all aspects of the project, this webinar documents how one community mobilized to create a space for survivors whose voices are often overlooked, disbelieved and silenced by the criminal justice system, practitioners, and communities. In focusing on how participants narrate the significance and meaning of the Survivors Memorial, this article uncovers how social, political, and local circumstances coalesced to make the Memorial possible. These factors include local leadership, the prevalence of sexual violence, the unique structure of the Minneapolis park structure and the rise of the #MeToo movement.