If you had a romantic day yesterday filled with roses and chocolate, it can be hard to remember that for about 720 American women, Valentine’s Day was not nearly so sweet. This is approximately the number of people who become victims of sexual assault every day—totaling about 207,754 victims a year (keep in mind that’s only reported cases above the age of 12—many, many incidents go unreported).
Despite it’s undeniable presence in the world, talk of sexual assault is generally hushed because the topic is unpleasant and ugly. And that’s exactly what 19-year-old photographer Grace Brown wanted to change. So, during her senior year of high school, she started Project Unbreakable—a photo series in which sexual assault survivors hold posters with a quote from their attacker written on them.
Originally, she wanted the project to bring light to the issue, but quickly realized how therapeutic it was for the survivors (including herself). Watch this video and see how these incredible women have begun to reclaim the words once used against them.
Want to learn more and keep the project going? Check out Brown’s IndieGoGo campaign.
Video courtesy of Nino Gallego via Vimeo.
