Virginia Solan is in a lifelong battle against interpersonal violence, which she fulfills as the coordinator for Violence Prevention Programs at the University of Idaho.
Solan said she started being sexually assaulted at a young age and her dedication to the cause started in fourth grade.
She was bullied by a group of girls who were her daily tormentors, until a classmate, Mindy Anderson, told them to stop. Solan said her classmate had no reason to get involved. According to Solan, they weren’t even friends, but because of her actions Solan’s bullies never bothered her again. Her classmate’s random act of kindness motivated Solan to become a similar force of change for others.
This week, the Violence Prevention Programs Office set up a decorated wall on the first floor of the TLC called the “Speak Out Wall.” The wall was designed by Solan’s intern, Nick Dimico, a UI student. Solan said the wall is covered with anonymous notes from people stating their connection to power-based violence.
Solan said connections to violence can range from a personal experience with sexual assault, to being close to someone who attempted suicide because of interpersonal violence. Spaced throughout the wall are statistics about power-based violence as well.
Solan said allowing an anonymous platform for people to speak the truth about their lives gives an opportunity for them to impact others. She said she believes most don’t speak up about the topic of interpersonal violence, because they think people don’t care. Solan said the wall is powerful because it shows people they’re not alone.
“You watch people reading the stuff,” Solan said. “And you see people reading yours, and you watch and you see that they’re really moved by that, and that they care and that they respect it. Think about what that would be like.”
In contrast to the “Speak Out Wall,” Solan utilizes the Speaker’s Bureau year-round to help prevent interpersonal violence. The Speaker’s Bureau is a group of students, faculty and community members with a direct connection with interpersonal violence, who tell their stories to impact an audience.
Solan said she respects members of the Speaker’s Bureau, because they are able to talk about their experiences so openly and fearlessly — even when the reaction from listeners may not always be positive.
“I don’t think they’re ever comfortable and that’s why I think they’re amazing,” Solan said. “You know, it’s like that old saying … ‘True courage is when you do something when you’re scared to.’ Everybody’s brave when they’re not scared. So they do it in spite of being uncomfortable.”
Whether it’s an anonymous note on a wall, or a student speaking about violence they’ve faced in their lifetime, Solan said she believes the power of the individual story impacts people more than statistics or her pep talks ever could.
“The power of the individual,” Solan said. “You can’t quantify it, and you can’t predict it … From the smallest beginnings, like an anonymous slip of paper with a couple of sentences on it, from that, power begins to kind of swirl around and everything … Just by writing something down, knowing people are seeing it, that in itself, I think is a testament to the power of the individual voice.”
Erin Bamer can be reached at [email protected]