Written by Nicole Lewis

Every year the Oscars are filled with emotion, dramatic flair, fashion, cinematography, comedy, and powerful performances. People all around the country gather for themed parties and make whole evenings out of watching the Oscars!

This year, Lady Gaga delivered a momentous performance when she sang her song, “Til It Happens To You” a song co-written by Gaga and Diane Warren that addresses the issue of sexual assault. The song was nominated for Best Original Song and was featured in the movie, “The Hunting Ground” a CNN documentary about sexual assaults on college campuses.

Although Lady Gaga and Diane Warren’s song lost for Best Original Song, she won with her riveting performance. Lady Gaga was a victim of sexual assault and the emotion was felt like none other when she sang about a subject close to her heart and from experience. Her performance and song sent an important message to not only college students, but youths of all ages and genders. The Oscars are always exciting, but in retrospect, a forum to educate the public on important issues and raise awareness. Gaga’s intonation served as voice for so many victims who are silent and afraid to come forward.

Bravo to Lady Gaga for her strength, courage and dedication to raise the consciousness about abuse and prevention. The first step is awareness. There is a wealth of information about this on the internet, furthermore, here at Platt we are committed to do our part and continue to raise awareness. For your convenience, informational handouts are available in the library and below we have provided the following links for more information.

Stalking Awareness Month: January
http://stalkingawarenessmonth.org/about

Teen Domestic Violence Awareness Month: February
http://www.loveisrespect.org/

Sexual Assault Awareness Month: APRIL
http://www.nsvrc.org/saam/sexual-assault-awareness-month

Domestic Violence Awareness Month: October
http://nnedv.org/getinvolved/dvam.html