Empower Yolo board members recently had the opportunity and honor of meeting and interviewing Fran Rockwell and Donna Moore, two extraordinary trailblazers and founders of the Yolo County Sexual Assault Center, which later evolved into Empower Yolo. Delving into the agency’s rich history not only deepens our connection to the community but also strengthens our commitment to supporting survivors and advocating for their rights. This exploration is particularly significant as we prepare to celebrate the agency’s upcoming 50th anniversary.
Early Years – Fran Rockwell had a nursing background and was an intern in the Doctoral Clinical Psychology program at the UCD Medical Center, supporting victims of sexual assault. During her time in the emergency room, she was struck by the glaring absence of support and resources available for survivors, both within the medical system and from local law enforcement. She later earned a PhD in clinical psychology while working with mental health clients and authored Dual Career Couples (1980). Additionally, Rockwell balanced her professional life with family, raising two sons alongside her husband.
Reflecting on her experiences in the medical center, Rockwell recalls, “I was working in the crisis unit, which is really the emergency room for nonphysical emergencies, and rape was certainly not considered an emergency like a gunshot wound. We saw a lot of sexual assault survivors in those days, and I don’t think we even had rape kits at the time. It was the woman’s word against his, and nobody understood the trauma that the women were going through. When I heard their stories, they struck me and stuck with me. And then I would see the survivors in the hospital and how they were treated,” says Rockwell.
Donna Moore (now Donna Moore-Stringer went by Donna Moore when the Yolo County Sexual Assault Center was established. She later adopted her family name, Stringer), the first program director for the UC Davis Women’s Resources and Research Center (WRRC), also contributed significantly to advancing the rights of women. With a PhD in social and developmental psychology and as the author of Battered Women (1982), Moore navigated the complexities of raising three sons as a single mother while making immense contributions to feminist scholarship and activism.
Both Rockwell and Moore vividly recall the social and political landscape of the late 1960s and early 70s, a time when women couldn’t even obtain credit cards without their husbands. “Domestic violence was not reported because it was considered a family matter, and it was best to keep it as a family matter, so we didn’t let anyone know this was going on,” explains Rockwell. “Sexual Assault focused on the perpetrators, their personality types, and the kind of backgrounds they had. There was nothing about the women.”
Creating Change – The 1970s marked a transformative period, “a decade of extraordinary feminist activity on virtually every level,” says Moore. Women’s studies was becoming more established, and more women pursued research, doctoral degrees, and leadership positions in academia. “Before that, there was no mentorship available. There were a few faculty women who had survived going through the tenure process, having to justify their work, and they were really strong. When I became the faculty director of the WRRC, it was because I had a doctorate. I was comfortable inviting other faculty women to be part of the WRRC, and it grew, and it was wonderful,” Rockwell recalls. In a significant endeavor, Moore drove 17 women—students, staff, and volunteers of the WRRC—to the UN women’s conference in Mexico City in 1975. The WRRC also hosted various conferences addressing critical issues such as battered women and men’s issues. “It was a busy four years of women’s activities on campus and in the nation,” Moore reminisces.
Rockwell and Moore met at a sexual assault seminar, and they’ve shared a special connected friendship for over 50 years. Rockwell reflects on their collaborative journey, “We broke so many barriers” from co-teaching psychology and women’s issues at UC Davis Medical School to Donna becoming the first paid program director of the WRRC to establishing the Yolo County Sexual Assault Center in 1977.
“Donna and I started talking about the issues, and we started talking with the police and physicians around to see what we could find out about sexual assault, and what the resources were for survivors, and found there were none,” Rockwell states.
Establishing the Sexual Assault Center – The lack of resources for survivors in the community prompted Moore and Rockwell to take action. In 1976, Moore developed a proposal for a community-based rape counseling program and presented it to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors. With the approval of $13,000 in county revenue-sharing funds administered through Diogenes, Inc., a nonprofit youth service organization, the Yolo County Sexual Assault Center was established as a separate entity on March 4, 1977, and received its 501(c)(3) status on June 30, 1977. Both Rockwell and Moore, alongside six other community members, signed the articles of incorporation and became the first board members.
“We were considered real and bona fide. We were authentic and part of the mainstream, and that was a big deal because the university and community acknowledged our organization,” Rockwell notes.
The Sexual Assault Center (the Center) was initially housed in a temporary apartment near the university on First Street in Davis. It provided crucial counseling services to rape victims and their families through a 24-hour crisis line, offering peer counseling and referral services coordinated by trained counselors. Rockwell and Moore provided support and training to the counselors who accompanied survivors in receiving medical, legal, and law enforcement services. Domestic violence services were subsequently added in 1978.
Rockwell helped create new protocols for medical professionals to follow when assisting survivors, ensuring they were treated with respect and dignity. Both Rockwell and Moore were hands-on leaders who recall waking up in the middle of the night to go to the hospital to support victims. “We owed that to the survivors. They weren’t reporting the crime because of how they were being treated by law enforcement and emergency room doctors. If you don’t change the system, people won’t report,” Moore asserted.
In addition to reforming the approach to sexual assault to become more survivor-centered, Rockwell and Moore prioritized prevention education.
Recognizing the community’s lack of awareness about sexual assault and supporting survivors, they actively engaged with and presented to local churches and organizations to inform people about the services offered at the Center while promoting education and opportunities for women to pursue higher education.
They also developed positive relationships with local law enforcement and partnered with police departments in Davis, Winters, and Woodland. Davis police officers led self-defense classes for the community, demonstrating their commitment to supporting survivors.
Moore advises younger generations about the importance of understanding history. “If we don’t know our history, we cannot actively create a future or advocate for our rights,” she emphasizes.
“What I see is that younger generations don’t have the history that we are talking about here today. And if you don’t understand this history, you don’t know what it cost to have the freedoms that you have. This is not just a problem for young women, but it’s also a problem for many groups of color. If you don’t know your history, you don’t know the sacrifices that people made so that you can vote, so that you can have safe healthcare, so that you can have an abortion and protect your own body and we’ve lost that sense of history, which I fear is leading to less activism on the part of young people,” Moore warns.
Moore recognizes societal challenges that persist. “The biggest hurdle then and now—remains the broader cultural context in which women are not valued; we seem to be reentering that era. Victim blaming biases around women’s behaviors were very hard to overcome,” says Moore.
“Some of the issues that we’re talking about with women have gotten better in that we do have more legal rights right now in the United States, but it’s also true that we run the risk of losing those very same rights if we don’t recognize them and continue not just expecting them but demanding them,” she notes.
Leaving a Legacy – Both Rockwell and Moore feel an immense sense of pride and satisfaction being part of founding the Yolo County Sexual Assault Center, now Empower Yolo, and reflect on the transformative impact they have had on countless individuals and families. They are proud of what Empower Yolo has become and are thankful for the people who have carried on the work through the years. They both emphasize the hard work and dedication it took them and many others to establish this life-saving resource for the community. “The Center didn’t just happen. It took many hours and a lot of committed people’s time and energy to make it a true thing and to keep the work going,” said Moore.
They acknowledge that the fight for survivors is ongoing, and the need for support services remains vital. “This work is not easy; establishing Empower Yolo demanded hard work to lead it into being a solid organization. Despite all of that, these things continue. Your organization happened because of dedication and tenacity and the demonstrated need, and that need has not gone away,” says Moore.
Both founders appreciate the advancements within the movement. “The progress is in how we see these issues and how we think about them and try to respond to them. What becomes so important is that these issues are complicated, and as you take one layer of complication away or understand it a little bit better, another one pops up. Seeing what Empower Yolo is doing now, especially working with young people in sororities and fraternities, students in schools, and protecting survivors with their family pets at the safe house, is so important because it continues to show growth in the field,” Moore observes.
Rockwell also emphasized the importance of financial support for Empower Yolo, encouraging donations through Donor Advised Funds and IRAs to ensure the continuity of these crucial services into the future.
To donate or learn more about Rockwell and Moore, please visit our website in the weeks to come for a follow-up piece highlighting these remarkable leaders and others at empoweryolo.org.
This article serves as a powerful reminder to younger generations of the invaluable contributions made by change-makers like Rockwell and Moore, fostering a profound connection to the Center’s rich history. Their dedication laid the groundwork for Empower Yolo, an organization that cultivates pride within our community. We honor the legacy of those who came before us—individuals who championed the empowerment of women and provided unwavering support to survivors and families. Together, we carry forward their mission, ensuring that the values of empowerment and resilience continue to thrive in our community.