# Do your part: April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month

/ Published April 6, 2022
FORT BELVOIR, Va., 
“Level the Playing Field, Play Your Position” was the theme of the Defense Logistics Agency Energy and Aviation Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month Opening Ceremony Webinar April 5. 

Sexual Assault Response Coordinators for DLA Energy Ella Warren and DLA Aviation Katrina Leverette coordinated the webinar, the first of a series of events planned for April.

                Do your part: April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month                            With a focus on men’s role in the prevention of sexual violence, the Defense Logistics Agency Energy and Aviation Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month Opening Ceremony Webinar included an all-male panel April 5. Special guest, Washington Commanders Football Team defensive end James Smith-Williams, and six other honorary guests discussed their personal experiences working to change the culture of sexual violence and behavior.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: DLA Energy Public AffairsVIRIN: 220405-D-D0441-900

Focusing on men’s role in the prevention of sexual violence, an all-male panel including Washington Commanders Football Team defensive end James Smith-Williams discussed their personal experiences working to change the culture of sexual violence and behavior. 

Other panel members included DLA Energy Strategic Communications Group Director Air Force Col. James Wilkie, DLA Aviation Human Resources Specialist and retired Army Marvin Edwards, DLA Aviation Public Affairs Specialist and Navy Reservist Leon Moore, DLA Energy Contracting Officer and writer, public speaker, activist, and founder of "Stand Up With Boys" Gordon Braxton, and U.S. Air Force Research Psychologist Dr. Nicholas Bennett. 

“We have to engage the 90% who know right from wrong and can encourage those around them to do better,” said Smith-Williams, an ambassador for Set the Expectation, a nonprofit dedicated to ending sexual and interpersonal violence. “We need to have a real conversation about it and start those conversations early.”

                Do your part: April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month                            Brenda Tracy, founder of Set the Expectation nonprofit and sexual assault Survivor, was the keynote speaker for the Defense Logistics Agency Energy and Aviation Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month Opening Ceremony Webinar April 5. Tracy was named one of ESPNs top 25 women in 2016 and one of Sports Illustrated most powerful women in sports in 2020.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: DLA Energy Public AffairsVIRIN: 220405-D-D0441-901

The keynote speaker for the event was Brenda Tracy, Founder of Set the Expectation and sexual assault Survivor. 

“Are you part of the solution or are you part of the problem?” she asked the audience. “Once you decide, then the real work begins. We all have a role to play. Everyone has influence even if you don’t have power.”

Tracy was named one of ESPNs top 25 women in 2016 and cited by Sports Illustrated as one of the most powerful women in sports in 2020. She is the creator of the “Tracy Rule” which is the most comprehensive serious misconduct policy in NCAA history. Her message of “men as the solution and not the problem” is transforming the landscape of sports and how gender-based violence prevention works.

DLA Energy Commander Brig. Gen. Jimmy Canlas opened the webinar and thanked everyone for participating and sharing a vision of a workplace free from sexual assault.

“You are helping to shift the messaging to be a more inclusive paradigm that both men and women have an important role to play in prevention of sexual assault and violence,” Canlas said.

Sexual Assault Response Coordinators for DLA Energy Ella Warren and DLA Aviation Katrina Leverette cohosted the event and guided the conversation. DLA Energy Acquisition Workforce Development & Intern Center Division Chief Ditu Kasuyi moderated the panel discussion. 

“I challenge everyone to engage in the good fight,” Bennett said in his closing. “Together we can change the culture.”

Other SAAPM events are ongoing throughout April. Check your email for more information. 

**Teal Tuesday:**Wear teal every Tuesday in April to show support for victims and survivors of sexual violence. 

**April 8:** “Unhealthy Relationships: Identifying Toxic Behaviors and Red Flags” virtual Lunch and Learn.

**April 13:**“Drug and Alcohol Abuse after Trauma” virtual Lunch and Learn with Dr. Vanessa Guyton of the Hush No More Foundation.  

**April 14:**“Stand Up With Boys” virtual Lunch and Learn with Gordon Braxton, DLA Energy Division Chief, Author, Activist and Educator on Sexual Violence, Former Director of Men’s Outreach on Sexual Violence Prevention at Harvard University. 

**April 27:**Denim Day. Wear your favorite jeans, jacket, or hat to show solidarity and support for victims of sexual assault.  

If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to email sapr@dla.mil.