Salamishah Tillet

On Monday, September 21, 2015, students, faculty, and other residents of Philadelphia gathered to watch the multi-media performances SOARS, or Story of a Rape Survivor. Story of a Rape Survivor is a traveling performances that visits college campuses and other locations to tell the story of a woman who was raped twice. The event held special significance for the University of Pennsylvania because this woman was once a student and is now a professor at the school. Her name is Salamishah Tillet. Salamishah Tillet’s sister, Scheherazade Tillet, documented Salamishah’s recovery from the assaults through her use of photography. Over time, the performance Story of a Rape Survivor evolved as new components, including singing, dance, and spoken word,

Rape “is the perfected act of male sexuality in a patriarchal culture—it is the ultimate metaphor for domination, violence, subjugation, and possession” (Morgan 134). Story of a Rape Survivor shows these aspects of rape through its portrayal of Salamishah Tillet’s physical and mental recovery. In the first song of the performance, the focus is on how the rape left Salamishah Tillet “black and blue.” This demonstrates the physical violence endured by Tillet, and the bruising left behind. In addition, the bruising is also symbolic for the psychological bruises left behind. There is a stigma associated with rape that places the burden of guilt on the victim (Morgan). Salamishah Tillet discusses how she felt humiliated and depressed following the assault because of this stigma, and she struggled to overcome these difficulties, even refusing to tell her own sister until a few years after the attacks. Some of the photographs featured show Salamishah Tillet curled up, hiding her body or face in shame and sadness, demonstrating just how deeply rape and sexual assault affect victims’ feelings toward themselves and the effects on mental