UltraViolet Action Joins Student-Led Survivor Justice Rally and Vigil in LA, Demanding Accountability in Cornell Case
For Immediate Release: October 8, 2026
Contact: media@fwdshift.com
UltraViolet Action will Support and Amplify October 8th #StopSexualViolence National Day of Action
Los Angeles, CA—UltraViolet Action, a leading national women-led gender-justice organization responsible for numerous impactful victories against sexual predators like R Kelly and Bill O’Reilly, will join a student-led demonstration in Los Angeles demanding justice for survivors of sexual violence as part of the #StopSexualViolence National Day of Action.
“We are joining this effort to denounce rape culture and how it has been allowed to seep into every institution in this country,” said Jenna Sherman, a campaign director with UltraViolet Action who will be a speaker at the rally and vigil. “From Epstein affiliate Casey Wasserman leading the LA28 Olympic Committee right here in LA, to the Tompkins County DA who thought that Jane Doe’s drinking excused her rape, to Zuckerberg and his tech cronies pretending to care about “free speech” while censoring conversations on sexual abuse, all the way to the oval office and the continued shielding of Epstein’s network of abuse, it is clear that rape culture is endemic in the structures around us. We have no choice but to uproot it right at the base, and we are so thrilled to be following the lead of students.”
Last week, UltraViolet Action helped lead the growing public outcry in support of Jane Doe by launching a series of advocacy petitions and a viral “I Am Jane Doe” social media campaign, including a petition calling on N.Y. Governor Kathy Hochul and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie to hold an extraordinary legislative session—and for the state Assembly to pass—an update to New York’s penal code to close the “voluntary intoxication” loophole, which currently makes it difficult to prosecute an alleged sexual assault if a survivor was not forced to consume alcohol or drugs but did so voluntarily. This was the legal loophole that Tompkins County District Attorney’s Office cited as the main reason it originally declined to bring charges against Jane Doe’s alleged assailants or conduct an independent investigation into her allegations.
UltraViolet has also launched a petition calling on Cornell to commit to hiring independent investigators for every sexual assault case reported to the university. Cornell has already acknowledged the need for outside oversight in Jane Doe’s case, raising serious questions about why the university has failed to extend that same standard of independence and accountability to all sexual assault investigations.
Members of the press can request an interview with Sherman by emailing media@fwdshift.com.
Follow UltraViolet Action’s work on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, and LinkedIn.
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UltraViolet Action works directly to mobilize constituents and lawmakers and is a 501(c)(4) organization working to change sexist policies, practices, and beliefs.
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