They call them “rape kits.” They are the second invasion of a woman’s life. They are her decision to take action to prove the unfathomable – that her body has been violated against her will. They are her cries for justice as she allows DNA to be collected to tie the rapist to his crime.
So when more than 11,000 unprocessed rape kits were found in Detroit Police storage in 2009, the evidence of inaction was deemed a violation of a community that demands justice. But the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office simply didn’t have funds to allocate to the cause.
“That is why it was necessary to raise private dollars to fund the testing of the kits, each costing $490 to process,” said Kim Trent, education policy manager for Michigan Future Inc. and who serves on the Wayne State University Board of Governors. “It’s fantastic that we’ve also seen public dollars being allocated to the law enforcement side of the effort, to investigate and solve the crimes and to prosecute the criminals.”
Trent and other women formed the African American 490 Challenge last month to weigh in and speak up for the survivors of these sexual assaults, more than 80 percent of whom are African American. The group plans to raise $657,090 by December 2016 — and raised more than $60,000 in their first month.
The 490 Challenge includes a cross section of African American community leaders and workers, convened by Trent; Darci McConnell, president and CEO of the McConnell Communications, Inc., public relations firm, and Maureen Stapleton, president of Community Enterprises, LLC, a training and coaching consultant firm.
“This is an expensive effort that has galvanized the community as it should if we are to say that we value women,” said McConnell.
As The New York Times reported Nov. 7, “testing 11,341 kits would cost about $17 million. That did not include the expense of hiring more investigators and then prosecuting the cases, a process that would most likely cost at least $10 million more.” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy was able to negotiate the cost of the testing down to $490 a kit.
Major announcements, such as Wayne County Executive Warren Evans’ proposal to contribute $1 million to rape kit investigations, are victories to be sure. However, individuals and organizations like the 490 Challenge that work under the Michigan Women’s Foundation’s umbrella, Enough Sexual Assault in Detroit – Enough SAID – say there is still a long way to go.
“We are not going to stop until we have raised the dollars needed to test every last one of those rape kits and get justice for these women,” McConnell said.
The 490 Challenge urges supporters to donate on the website https://www.aa490challenge.org; to host $49 house parties for 10 of their friends; and to get involved in upcoming “spirited” campaigns like the recent Michigan Wolverines versus Michigan State Spartans Challenge that saw alums donating more than $30,000, with U-M besting MSU.
But the real winners are the women whose rape kits are now being tested, who may one day see their assailants imprisoned, and the community that has risen up to help take criminals off the streets. Enough SAID.
For more information, email 490challenge@gmail.com or go to www.aa490challenge.org.
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