Our View: V-Day should be every day

DKS Editors

While many students were either frolicking around with their significant other or aggressively asserting that, no, they don’t care that it’s Valentine’s Day, many others were celebrating a different kind of V-Day.

V-Day is a movement inspired by Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues,” which utilizes the hype of Valentine’s Day to raise awareness about violence against women.

This year Kent State students decided to join the campaign One Billion Rising, which uses a flash mob dance to say that an estimated one billion abused each year is an atrocity, but one billion dancing is a revolution.

It’s so inspiring that several Kent State organizations came together to organize not one but three flash mobs throughout the day to raise awareness. It may feel silly to dance in front of your fellow students, but we applaud these students for taking the time to say, “No, we will not accept violence against women and girls in our culture.”

Keep in mind, however, that violence against women occurs every day, not just on Feb. 14. It shouldn’t take a group of people spontaneously dancing in front of the Student Center for you to get involved and get educated every day of the year.

We urge our readers to keep the V-Day message alive throughout the year. Go to the Women’s Center and check out their resources and programming. Consider auditioning for or going to see their production of “The Vagina Monologues” on April 12. Take the time to learn about rape culture and what you can do to counteract it.

It’s a big issue, and not one that’s going to go away without everyone doing their part to educate themselves and raise awareness for others, just like the participants in One Billion Rising.

For now, keep dancing, KSU.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.