Contact: Sammy McDavid
STARKVILLE, Miss.--An Oregon teenager who launched an international self-defense training program for young girls speaks Monday [Aug. 10] at Mississippi State.
Dallas Jessup's 6 p.m. presentation in the Colvard Student Union's Foster Ballroom is sponsored by the university's offices of Student Counseling Services and Sexual Assault Services.
The free admission program also includes a self-defense demonstration and signings of the Vanderbilt University freshman's book (with Rusty Fischer), "Young Revolutionaries Who Rock: An Insider's Guide to Saving the World One Revolution at a Time." [Sutton Hart, 2009].
"Just Yell Fire" is the name of the non-profit project the 17-year-old black belt founded several years ago. It also is the title of a widely distributed film she will introduce that helps girls and young women ages 11-19 better understand how to defend themselves from potential assaults and kidnappings. (For more, visit www.justyellfire.com/.)
According to Jessup, the title reflects a central theme of the film: while yelling "help" or "rape" may frighten away potential witnesses or rescuers, yelling "fire" tends to draw a crowd.
For her accomplishments, Jessup has received numerous honors, including selection as a CNN Hero and membership in the Hall of Fame for Caring Americans. She also was chosen for the President's Youth Service Award, Points of Light Award, Elle Girl Teen Hero, and Do Something Winner, among others.
For more on the MSU event, contact Aretina Hankerson-Daniels of Student Counseling Services at 662-325-2091 or ah115@saffairs.msstate.edu.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.