Illinois lawmakers are pledging support for a Chicago-area veterans advocate seeking stronger protections and accountability for service members who experience sexual assault, as new Pentagon data shows declines in estimated assaults but advocates warn that fear of reporting remains a serious concern.
State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (D-8th), U.S. Reps. Danny K. Davis (D-7th) and Jonathan Jackson (D-1st), and Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller (6th) have expressed support for Dr. Renee Dickerson, an Air Force veteran, sexual assault survivor and founder and CEO of Victory Place, NFP.
Dickerson is a co-national organizer of the Million Women Veterans March on Washington, which she said is scheduled for October 27, 2027. The effort, known as “Dishonored Valor,” is being organized by National Women Veterans United, the International Association of Military Women of Color and Victory Place. Its policy priorities include military sexual trauma prevention, justice and accountability, mental health care, housing, economic equity and institutional transparency.
Ford and Miller were among veterans and supporters who attended a recent Victory Place fundraiser at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Alsip. Miller, whose father served in Vietnam, chairs the Cook County Board’s Veterans Committee.
“Sexual assault in the military is not a problem of the past. It is still happening to women and men who volunteered to serve our country,” Ford said. “Too many survivors carry that trauma home with them without the care and justice they deserve.”
Ford said he plans to help convene veterans, behavioral health professionals, educators and community partners in Illinois before the Washington march to identify state policies that could complement federal reforms.
“Those who served deserve to be safe while serving and supported when they come home,” Ford said.
Davis said he is committed to working with Dickerson’s group. He also urged voters concerned about federal policy to participate in the November 3 election.
“If people want change in this country, if they want progressive thought and progressive ideas to be actualized, then every chance that they get to put the more progressive people in decision-making places, that is the most effective way to do it,” Davis said.
Dickerson’s campaign comes as the military continues to confront sexual assault and questions about whether survivors trust the reporting system.
The Pentagon’s Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military estimated that 20,492 active-duty service members experienced unwanted sexual contact, down from 29,061 in fiscal 2023. The estimated rate among active-duty women fell from 6.8% to 4.3%, while the rate among men declined from 1.3% to 1.0%. The Pentagon also estimated that 33% of affected service members reported an assault to military authorities, up from 25% in 2023.
Protect Our Defenders, a national advocacy organization focused on military sexual assault and harassment, cautioned that the lower estimates should not end scrutiny of the system. The organization said it continues to hear concerns from service members about fear of reporting and access to survivor protections and has criticized changes to prevention and response programs.
One case cited by the organization involves Army Maj. Blaine McGraw, an obstetrician-gynecologist facing a general court-martial at Fort Hood, Texas. According to the Army, McGraw pleaded not guilty in August to nine charges encompassing 272 specifications involving 93 alleged victims. The allegations include sexual assault and abusive sexual contact, indecent recording, assault consummated by battery and other offenses. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. His trial is scheduled to begin March 30, 2027.
Dickerson said her advocacy is rooted in her own experience with military sexual trauma. She said the superior who raped her was never charged, an experience that has fueled her work with veterans and their families dealing with trauma.
Through Victory Place and the Million Women Veterans March, Dickerson said she intends to press for policy changes and greater accountability for survivors who believe military systems failed them.
“I am proud to stand with Dr. Dickerson and the Million Women Veterans March,” Ford said.
Based on reporting by Chicago Crusader.
