For months now, you've seen the banners in LaFortune, the dining halls, down Notre Dame Avenue and even on your way to class — "To Heal, To Unify and To Enlighten." They are beautiful, concise expressions of the aims that should guide our actions both here at Our Lady's University and in the world beyond this campus. However, it is our concrete projects and experiences that truly help us to profoundly internalize these abstractions.
I have had the privilege to participate in this year's production of Loyal Daughters and Sons and work toward the realization of these intentions to heal, unify and enlighten our immediate community. The scenes and monologues are inspired by interviews with members of the Notre Dame community about their experiences with sexuality and sexual assault. These are deeply personal topics, and many are silenced by shame, regret, confusion and uncertainty. But silence allows wounds to fester. Only by speaking out can we begin the arduous road to recovery. We must actively initiate this healing.
The production also seeks to unify our community by representing the diversity that exist here. In the 20 pieces, we succinctly cover a wide breadth of experiences and opinions. Sometimes these outlooks conflict, but any venture worthwhile requires dialogue. There is a variety of narratives and characters available for our audience members to identity with. There is no one, particular story of this community, but rather, many unique ones.
Finally, by staging these stories, we hope to enlighten our community. Recognition of others' anxieties, pain, doubts, joys, desires and triumphs as well as our own is what can release us from the paralysis of ignorance. If we are conscious of what is truly happening, we can begin to work each in our own ways to shape our world into a better one.
Please come and join the journey at Carey Auditorium in Hesburgh Library this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. We await our fellow Loyal Daughters and Sons.
Tara Duffy
senior
Breen-Phillips Hall
Feb. 29
