“Cornell 7” Case Ignites Nationwide Protests and Artful Solidarity with Jane Doe

Key facts

• Approximately 250 protesters gathered beside the Washington Monument on the National Mall on October 8 as part of a National Day of Action.
• The protests were organized largely in response to allegations that seven Cornell University men, known as the “Cornell 7,” gang-raped a female student and advertised it in a fraternity Snapchat group.
• When Jane Doe reported the incident two years ago, two of the accused men were expelled and the rest were required to write essays; her lawyer filed another suit two years after the university’s response.
• Speakers at the DC rally included Dani Bensky, Alva Johnson, and Claire Barnett, who called for legislation to hold abusers accountable.
• Activist and curator Nadine Seiler, known for preserving artworks from the Black Lives Matter memorial fence, held a poster with “I Am Jane Doe” on one side and “rapists are not victims” on the other.
• On October 5, hundreds of Cornell students staged a campus rally against the university’s administration, expressing solidarity with Jane Doe and criticizing fraternity culture.
• Organizer Riley Reed said the DC location was chosen for its symbolic backdrop of the Washington Monument and the White House.
• The protest lasted two hours with speeches, chants, and music, and Johnson urged attendees to “vote the rape regime out of office.”