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Miss District of Columbia 2019 Shares Her #MeToo Message

Sahar Majid

   WASHINGTON - VOA Student Union's Sahar Majid interviewed 2019 Miss
   District of Columbia Katelynne Cox, who talked about issues including
   her pageant journey and advocacy organization.

   Katelynne Cox was chosen as the 2019 Miss District of Columbia last
   month.

   Cox, a native of Washington state, is the manager of fundraising and
   events at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Washington, D.C.

   In the pageant, Cox was able to speak to her advocacy for the #MeToo
   movement.

   Through the organization Silence Is Not Compliance, which Cox founded
   in 2016, she is providing rehabilitation resources to survivors of
   sexual assault and educating kids on how to prevent sexual violence.

   Cox is a rape survivor, and works to inspire other women who have gone
   through similar trauma and have not been able to speak up.

   "I am a survivor of sexual assault and was raped in college, andI
   wanted to turn my terrible experience into a way that could help
   others," she said.

   As she established Silence Is Not Compliance, Cox began lobbying for
   the victims for sexual assault before the U.S. Congress.

   "I would argue right now, in our current policies, that victims are
   treated as tools for prosecution rather than victims deserving a rescue
   and that's what I want to change," she said.

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