Kayla Smith | Staff Writer
Dozens of women gathered along with Hampton University student-led organizations such as Impressions of Beauty, Generation Action and Women’s Caucus to have a much needed conversation about consent Feb. 12.
The organizations gathered to host a night full of education and fun for all who attended. The night started out with an icebreaker used to jump right into the topic. The audience was split into small groups and were given the task of creating skits to portray what consent is and is not based on their prior knowledge.
Following the skits, the organizations opened the floor to have an open and honest conversation about how to give effective consent by using the easy to remember acronym F.R.I.E.S.: Freely Given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, Specific.
Talks such as these are not as common on Hampton’s campus as many would like, so this event was one that was very anticipated.
“It’s extremely important to have more events such as the ABC event because it educates the student body on their options,” said HU student Amber Wynne, a third-year nursing major and criminal justice minor from Columbia, Maryland, and the 2019-2020 Generation Action President.
“It also empowers students to have confidence in their sexual health. Proper communication in your relationships creates healthy sexual relationships. We need to ensure that we are empowering students to take more control over their aspect of their health.”
Based on the turnout for the night, there was a general eagerness among the attendees to have this much-needed conversation. The hosts continued the night by going more in depth about consent. They provided examples of what may happen when someone doesn’t give consent and provided options for those who had not given consent. The tips and educational resources were supplied by the Counseling Center, Chapel and HUPD.
The organizations that put together this event wanted to ensure that the attendees were enriched with knowledge that will keep them safe and help them be prepared for anything that could happen over Valentine’s Day weekend and beyond.
The night finished with another discussion on how to protect ourselves and stand firm in our decisions. Goodie bags were passed out that were filled with candy, free beauty samples and condoms. A spoken word piece closed the night which exuded the emotion of the event.
Everyone who attended took something different from the event, but when asked if she thought this event opened her eyes about consent, Brianna Ellis, a first-year pre-nursing major from Peekskill, New York, thought that this event changed her perspective of consent.
“Usually, when people think about consent, they go right to sex, but going to the event, I was informed that consent isn’t just about sex, it’s about everything that involves asking for permission,” Ellis said.
At the close of the event, people were able to leave with a new outlook, more knowledge and free goodies. Impressions of Beauty, Generation Action and Women’s Caucus should consider this event a success.
The Hampton Script 