Following her rape, Columbia University senior student Emma Sulkowicz has been carrying her mattress everyday to class to protest the lack of punishment to her rapist by the institution.
Enraged by the lack of attention gotten by their colleague from the university administration, several other students on Friday, September 12, 2104 joined Sulkowicz in protest by carrying mattresses of their own, a report by Jezebel shows.
In addition to Sulkowicz, the unnamed rapist who was found ‘not reponsible’ by the school was said to have assaulted 2 other students.
The victim along with 22 others have filed a federal lawsuit against the school. Although the school has made little adjustments to the its rape problems, students have expressed their dissatisfaction with the effort made by the school’s authority.
As part of her senior thesis, Sulkowicz has decided to carry her mattress everywhere with her. She said in an interview: “I was raped in my own dorm bed. I feel like I’ve carried the weight of what happened there everywhere since then.”
And on Wednesday, September 10, 2014, a group of students and alumni decided to help her carry the mattress in solidarity. One of them said “I like the fact that we can step up and share the weight with her — that she doesn’t have to do this all alone,”
Stand with @Columbia survivors & #carrythatweight together pic.twitter.com/tLn6kKZGZl
— Know Your IX (@knowyourIX) September 12, 2014
Columbia University sexual assault protest rally. pic.twitter.com/sUtA2z9Qy8
— Diksha Basu (@dikshabasu) September 12, 2014
Rape culture on campus should never be tolerated and complaints should never be lost in bureaucracy #carrythatweight pic.twitter.com/hzYqdlZobZ
— Ana SIngh (@AnaMsingh) September 12, 2014
“What do women want? To be able to live our lives!” Powerful rally at Columbia. #carrythatweight pic.twitter.com/NwEBZmUnR1
— Amy Littlefield (@amylittlefield) September 12, 2014
