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in our own words - launch event

  • Ann Arbor District Library, 4th floor 343 S. Fifth Avenue Ann Arbor US (map)
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Launch event for new website resource — 

The complete victim impact statements of the survivors of Larry Nassar

Ann Arbor District Library (343 S. Fifth Avenue) 

7pm, Thursday, November 8.

231 720-0930 for event information

Meet some of the courageous victims who spoke out against predator Larry Nassar, leaders of Michigan organizations fighting sexual assault and Ann Arbor journalists covering this important story. 

Wayne County SAFE’s Trinea Gonczar and three other Larry Nassar victims, Larissa Boyce, Jessica Smith and Christina Baker Barba will conduct a panel discussion on the impact of these historic cases at a launch event for inourownwords.us. They will be joined by Natalie Rogers of Reclaim MSU, Michigan Radio Reporter Kate Wells, Detroit News Reporter Kim Kozlowski, Lansing’s State Journal’s Matt Mencarini, State News Editor Marie Weidmayer and Alexa St. John, editor of the Michigan Daily

The event launches inourownwords.us, a new website featuring more than 200 victim impact statements presented at Nassar’s sentencing hearings in Ingham and Eaton Counties. inourownwords.us includes a valuable searchable database created by the Heartland Independent Film Forum with the support of its media sponsor, the Michigan Daily. The site includes more than 1,400 pages of unabridged victim impact statements from these hearings as well as a timeline and media links. These powerful first hand accounts offer a unique opportunity to understand how a trusted physician and family friend could abuse his position of authority for more than 20 years. This one of a kind resource helps students, their professors, families, journalists and attorneys research this case and understand how we can work together to make sure that this decades long pattern of abuse never happens again. 

Please join us at this free Ann Arbor panel discussion to hear Nassar’s victims talk about these landmark cases that have led to life sentences for the former physician. You will learn how a culture of denial made it so difficult for Nassar’s victims to stop his devastating pattern of abuse. Speakers will also describe positive steps being taken at campuses across the country to stop sexual assault. 

For more information on this free event call (231) 720-0930.

Visit our facebook event page.