2006-07-04T21:12:00.000-05:00

Our Mission
Anchored in Chicago and New York City, The Binding Project blends education, art, and dialogue to establish a community of empowerment by creating a focal point for the shared healing and strength of those dedicated to shattering the silence of sexual violence.

What is The Binding Project?
The Binding Project seeks to unite people across the United States by empowering them to take ownership over zip tie bindings and other forms of restraint often used by perpetrators as a means of control and power. Victims, their loved ones, and other members of the community will choose to take ownership over these bindings symbolically, spiritually and psychologically by participating in The Binding Project. As part of the Project, they will write a word that empowers them in times of struggle and adversity on a zip tie binding and wear it as a bracelet.

This action will indicate their solidarity with others across a broad spectrum of social, economic, racial, and cultural divides. Women and men will be asked to write their word of empowerment on one bracelet to be worn and to write the same word on a bracelet which will be submitted to the creators of The Binding Project. Participants are also encouraged to write their first name, age, and city/state on the back portion and send photos of their wrists wearing the bracelets.

Bracelets submitted to the Project will become part of an installation art piece to be exhibited in Chicago and New York City.

Why is it called The Binding Project?
On July 13, 1996, a violent abduction and assault catapulted Angela Rose into activism at the age of seventeen. Rose was leaving her job at a Chicago suburban shopping mall in broad daylight when she was kidnapped at knifepoint by a repeat sex offender who was on parole for murder. After bounding her wrists behind her back, the assailant taped Rose’s eyes shut. Unbeknownst to him, Rose could see out of the corners of her eyes and this is what ultimately led to his arrest and conviction. Weeks following the attack, Rose worked with the assailant’s previous victims to support changes in Illinois state law. Their efforts were successful in passing the “Sexually Dangerous Persons Commitment Act” in 1998. In 2000, after a four year battle with the criminal justice system, Rose’s perpetrator was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Most survivors are troubled by “triggers,” objects that invoke painful memories of their experience. The plastic zip ties that the assailant used to bind Rose’s wrists behind her back during the abduction have been her trigger. “Every time I saw those zip ties in a store, it was very difficult and emotional for me. For some reason, that was the sole object that always brought me back to being restrained in the car the evening I was kidnapped. That feeling of being trapped and powerless was very traumatic for me,” Rose said.

July 13, 2006 marks the 10th anniversary of Rose’s harrowing experience. Accordingly, she has chosen this date to launch The Binding Project as part of her commitment to helping sexual assault survivors heal.

Why are men invited to participate in The Binding Project?
For centuries, rape and sexual assault have been considered a women’s issue. The fact is that sexual violence impacts everyone in our society. According to the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, studies have indicated that 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused during childhood . Most adult female victims of sexual assault face challenges in interacting with important men in their life after an attack – including boyfriends, husbands, fathers and coworkers. At the same time, sexual violence knows no boundaries, and countless male rapes go unreported each year. The Binding Project will showcase community solidarity against all types of sexual violence.

Get Empowered! (How The Binding Project Works)
The Binding Project seeks to receive zip tie wristbands representing people from all 50 states. In order to achieve this goal, the Project creators will send The Binding Project Kit to a coalition against sexual assault (July 2006) in every state and to high schools (September 2006) across the country. Each group will be asked to discuss sexual assault with its respective persons and encourage them to commit to a renewed level of empowerment both on an individual and collective level. Organizations are encouraged to request more than 60 zip ties in order to reach the level of empowerment sought by the creators of the project. The goal is to collect 1,000 bracelets by December 13, 2006 in order to display the art piece at an opening around Valentine’s Day.

The Binding Project Kit includes:

Educational Materials
60 Zip Tie Wristbands (30 to be worn by participants and 30 to be returned to project creators for NYC/Chicago art installation)
Permanent Markers for Writing Word of Empowerment
Self-addressed, Pre-Paid Return Envelope

If you would like to order The Binding Project Kit, please contact us:

angela@pavingtheway.net

Project Creators
The Binding Project was created by Lisa Rainwater and Angela Rose. Lisa met Angela at a Take Back the Night Rally in Madison, Wisconsin where Angela spoke of her abduction. In years to follow, the two developed a strong personal friendship, professional connection, and commitment to work toward a better civil society.

Lisa Rainwater received her PhD from the University of Wisconsin in 2002, where she studied German and European cultural, social, and political movements. In 2000 she began her not-for-profit work as President of the Madison NOW (National Organization for Women) chapter. Currently working as Indian Point Campaign Director for the renowned New York environmental group, Riverkeeper, Rainwater combines her revolutionary spirit with her commitment to civic action and democratic participation to lead the efforts to shut down the Indian Point nuclear power plant located just 24 miles north of NYC. Early on Rainwater felt that the environmental and women’s movements were ignoring the interconnectedness between environmental degradation and the health and well-being of women. Her personal work seeks to bring leaders from both movements together in order to create the greatest impact for social and political change. Her activism has been featured in national broadcasts, publications, and numerous media outlets. She is a published author and translator.

Angela Rose is an outspoken sexual assault survivor who uses her voice to shatter the silence of sexual violence and dispel commonly believed myths regarding sex crimes. She is the Founder of PAVE: Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment, a national organization aimed at shattering the silence surrounding sexual violence, specifically geared toward college campuses. In 2002, Angela Rose was a guest on various daytime talk shows such as The Montel Williams Show and The John Walsh Show. Her story was featured in several teen magazines including CosmoGIRL and Girl’s Life. She now travels the country spreading her message of awareness and empowerment. Although her assailant was a stranger, Rose highlights in her lectures the fact that most victims are attacked by people they know and trust. Rose has presented workshops and keynote addresses at state and national conferences, as well as intimate college and high school classrooms. In her professional life, she is a journalist, renowned public speaker, and the Director of Desert Rose Promotions using art to awaken social consciousness.

How Can I Help?
We are currently seeking corporate or individual sponsorships as well as supporting organizations. If interested in supporting The Binding Project, please contact us at angela@pavingtheway.net.