On the heels of Lady Gaga’s stirring performance of “Til It Happens To You” at this year’s Academy Awards, the filmmakers behind The Hunting Ground, for which the song was written, are calling on college-student singers nationwide to help raise awareness about the country’s campus rape crisis.
Til It Happens To You: Sing For Survivors Contest invites college a cappella groups to submit a rendition of the Oscar-nominated tune in a show of solidarity with rape survivors everywhere. “This song has become an anthem to support survivors and to end the culture of silence and shame around sexual assault,” according to the contest website. The contest was created in partnership with the White House’s It’s On Us campaign.
The response so far has been extraordinary, with submissions from groups in California, Illinois, Kentucky and Minnesota hitting all the right notes. Among the most notable is the moving entry from Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ all-female a cappella ensemble, Three Miles Lost. Filmed by student Bree von Bradsky, the group rallied representatives from all corners of campus—including HWS athletics, the dean’s office and two fraternities—to appear in the music video, holding signs reading, “1 in 5 of us knows how it feels” and “We Stand in Solidarity.” Watch the video below—it’s a soul-shaking tribute to survivors of campus rape.
Want to sing your support for campus sexual assault survivors? Join the movement and submit your cover of “Til It Happens To You” by March 15 here!
