2.1 Cleveland Rape Crisis Center
History
The Cleveland Rape Crisis Center was founded in 1947 by Lynn Hammond, Carrie Zander, Lorraine Schalamon, and Jeanne Van Atta, with money they acquired from the Cleveland branch of N.O.W., and the Case Western Reserve University Women's Law Caucus. In the beginning, the center was a hotline that these four women staffed as a response to the growing need to support victims of sexual abuse and change the negative stigma around the subject. Instead of having a public discussion about this very unhealthy occurrence, people kept silent and avoided the topic all together. However, after receiving grants from Cleveland and the George Gund Foundation in 1976, the Center was able to expand, and began to see many more cases, hire more staff, and eventually turn into a 24-hour hotline. Since then, many changes have occurred, such as establishing ER visits, counseling, and a greater community awareness around the stigma of rape.The Logo
The original logo that the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center used was a nightingale inspired by the greek myth of Philomela. In the myth, Philomela wants to go to visit her sister Procne, whose husband, King Tereus of Thrace, offers to pick up Philomela. On the journey, King Tereus rapes and mutilates Philomela, eventually cutting out her tongue so she cannot tell anyone of his abuse. To seek justice, Philomela transforms into a nightingale so she will always have a voice in the world. The nightingale symbol is important to the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center's mission, because it advocates for speaking up after abuse rather than trying to keep silent.The new logo of the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, established in 2015, is the threshold, which is "representative of place, strength and new beginnings. The threshold's open and round structure encourages the act of walking beyond the threshold, to experience change through expert care and attention." The tagline beneath the threshold reading "'change starts here.' communicates that the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is a place where survivors of rape and sexual abuse can seek change in their lives -- turn over a new leaf and start a new chapter. It's a place where leaders can advocate for policy and societal change. A place where policy, perception and lives can change."
