It’s often hard for victims of sexual violence to speak about their experience. But 3,000 victirms were able to express themselves through art, creating a personal square of fabric to be part of quilts that make up The Monument Quilt.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On June 7, 1942, the Battle of Midway ends, marking a turning point in the conflict between the United States and Japan during World War II. The four-day battle, which was fought about 1,000 miles northwest of Hawaii, resulted in the Japanese losing four aircraft carriers, while the U.S. lost one. Furthermore, the Japanese lost a cruiser, 292 aircraft and suffered 2,500 casualties. The U.S. lost the carrier Yorktown , a destroyer, 145 aircraft and suffered 307 casualties. One of the keys to victory was that the U.S. was able to break the Japanese codes, which allowed them to anticipate what would have been a surprise attack. The Japanese Navy never recovered from the losses, and in August of 1942, the U.S. began a counteroffensive at Guadalcanal.

An abandoned public housing complex in New York. A collection of old buildings in Dallas. Rhode Island’s iconic skyscraper, which hasn’t had a tenant for six years. To the untrained eye, these dilapidated buildings and neighborhoods seem to be well past their prime and ready to be torn down, but they’re actually critical links to America’s past — national treasures that must be protected, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

VIDEO: Efforts to recycle discarded plastic have not reduced piles of single-use products from landfills, and China will no longer import plastic waste for recycling. The United Nations says more than 8 million tons of plastic enters the ocean every year. Researchers are working to develop biodegradable materials to replace the durable plastic.

VIDEO: One of the first Lindy Hoppers in America, Norma Miller, dazzled the country with this fast-paced, acrobatic dance in the 1930s and 1940s. A multitude of international tours and thousands of students and fans later, America fell in love with Lindy Hop, and Miller became known as the Queen of Swing. Miller died in May at 99 in Florida, but her dance legacy continues. VOA attended a farewell ceremony in New York and has more on Miller’s life and legacy.

Two American women accused of joining with the Islamic State terror group, along with their children, are heading back to the United States.