Dressed in a tye-dye t-shirt and sporting a dark curly beard, WWE star Mick Foley addressed the AU community in the Forman Theater Thursday night and explained how even the most “unlikely” person can become an ally for sexual assault survivors.
Foley, known to much of the world for his performance inside the wrestling ring, started working as a volunteer for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) through an online hotline in the early 2000s. He said he became involved in the organization after meeting one of his musical heroes, Tori Amos, at a ComicCon event and learning about her participation in RAINN. Foley made his first donation to RAINN that night, contributing $2,000 to the cause, and has since become a leading advocate for the organization, he said.
Although the semi-retired professional wrestler has enjoyed a decorated career as an athlete, he said that one of the most gratifying parts of his life has been giving back to survivors and helping raise awareness about the problem of sexual assault.
“I think wrestling fans have become really proud of the fact that we have become the largest donors and the largest anti-sexual assault organization in the U.S.,” Foley said in an interview with The Eagle. “I’m really proud of it, I want people to talk about it. It’s really staggering to me that we’ve found a way to make a subject so difficult to talk about somehow palatable.”
Foley began his presentation by calling representatives from StepUp!, an AU bystander intervention program, to the stage to talk about how students can help the cause. According to Foley, talking about the problem of sexual assault and helping support survivors serves as the first step towards change. He said sexual assault is bullying taken to the extreme, and he encouraged all members of the audience to help those struggling with abuse in any way that they can.
“I think that the perception that I had, and that everyone else has, is that sexual violence, sexual assault, rape, are issues for survivors and women, and so anyone outside of that is seen as unlikely,” Foley said in the interview. “Part of my goal is to make people realize that you can’t address this issue just with the most likely advocates. You need some help from outside.”
In addition to his work with RAINN, Foley serves as a volunteer and sponsor parent for ChildFund, an organization committed to helping “deprived, excluded and vulnerable children” experience opportunities for future growth, according to its website. He has also published four children's books and built schools in Sierra Leone with the money he has made from the books.
As a published author, professional wrestler, stand-up comedian and sexaul assault prevention advocate, Foley’s interests range across a variety of fields. Foley told The Eagle that the link between all of his endeavors involves interacting with people and inspiring change.
“Wrestling was all about connecting with an audience, the moves were not nearly as important as trying to connect with the audience, and if you're able to do that in a ring, and with a microphone, well, you’re able to do that on a page or on a stage or even when you take up an issue on social media.”
