History of V-day at ASU

Our ASU College Campus Campaign was inspired by vagina goddess Eve Ensler with her play, The Vagina Monologues, which has been performed nationally and internationally since it was written in 1998. V-day has since grown into a global movement, with many diverse, beautiful, inspired faces-- one of which is the college campaign. The ASU V-Day College Campaign is very, very proud to have been one of the fifty schools to produce a college benefit production in 1999, the first year of the college campaign movement. Actors and activists now carry on this vagina legacy by producing an annual, spring show as a fundraiser for a local shelter, which is chosen each year by the group. The Vagina Monologues production is produced, promoted, and performed entirely by students. Tryouts are held each fall, and rehearsals begin shortly thereafter, until showtime in February or March. The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina. When all women live in safety, no longer fearing violence or the threat of violence, then V-Day will be known as Victory Over Violence Day.

The ASU V-Day College Campaign is a feminist organization. This means that instead of an elected body of officers handing decisions down to members, all actors and activists have a voice in the V-day organization that they help to create. New members are always welcome throughout the year to contribute their ideas to shape the direction of the movement. We usually start our planning meetings late summer/early fall, in order to begin the process of getting to know and respect one another, a vital priority for our mission to be possible.

Our activism begins with the way we treat one another, applying our values of non-violence and respect for each woman or man's unique contributions to the movement. ASU V-Day believes it to be one of our topmost priorities to ally our efforts with other campus and local organizations who share our mission of ending violence in its multiple forms. We see coalition building as the way to accomplish our mission.

Representatives from local high schools, campus dorms, undergraduate and graduate activist organizations, and campus health facilities staff are joining in dialogue with ASU V-Day to understand the antecedents to violence in our community. We believe this dialogue will help inform us and others about where our efforts are most needed to bring about change in the state of violence in our lives. In five years at ASU, 1 in 4 women will experience rape, or attempted rape. One in 25 male students will experience the same*. There is profound need in the ASU community for violence prevention, awareness raising, empowerment, and education. We invite all Vagina warriors to co-envision and co-act with us. Let's work together. Let us bring out change together, so that we can soar together, in a world without violence.

*ASU Data from National College Health Assessment (2000, 2002) Composed with excerpts from www.vday.org