Welcome. This is a resource page in response to an problem of grooming and sexual violence in our organization (https://carlitoroviraexposed.com) that ignited a wide response from other radical groups looking for help on how to prevent gender violence in their organization, and help members who have experienced gender violence. Here are some helpful resources to develop
creative-interventions.org – Learn how to create community-based, collective responses to domestic, family, and sexual violence. Perfect for grassroots groups looking for curricula and resources to educate themselves. Free.
Incite-national.org – INCITE! is a network of radical feminists of color organizing to end state violence and violence in our homes and communities.
Critical Resistance-Incite! Statement on Gender Violence And the Prison-Industrial Complex (2001) – read this popular education workshop and learn to build a community where safety and security will not be premised on violence or the threat of violence; it will be based on a collective commitment to guaranteeing the survival and care of all peoples.
therapyforblackgirls.com – Find trusted, culturally competent therapists that know our feelings and can help navigate being a strong, black woman.
Gender Violence – Read more about sexual violence.
RAINN – RAINN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. It maintains several resources for survivors including a Hotline and Chat service open 24 days/week, 7 days a week; listings of survivor stories and survivor speakers bureau; extensive listing of different types of sexual violence, and more.
Me Too Movement – resources for sexual abuse survivors including Survivor Healing sessions, and legal resources. Also, resources for those wanting to help.
Justice for Black Girls – Supporting Black Girls
Our Wave – safe place for sexual abuse survivors to share their stories safely and anonymously
Black Men Heal – mental health support for Black men
Black Women’s Blueprint – putting the struggles and lived experiences of Black women and girls “within the context of the larger racial justice concerns of Black communities.”
“In much the same way that state power over a populace is legitimate for liberals if the people consent, it is okay if sexual relations under patriarchy objectify and subordinate women, so long as women consent to it.”
–https://anti-imperialism.org/2015/07/06/lets-talk-about-consent/ (i.e. rape is inherently gendered violence, consent model needs to be abandoned in our conversations, because it neglects to acknowledge the top-down power dynamics that coerce subject (women, non-men) into submission, for lack of a real choice to opt-out of a reinforced culture/ethos)
An organization: www.wetakeroot.com
Other survivor testimonials
https://medium.com/@nathaliagibbs/misogyny-fractures-movements-a-call-for-community-accountabi-3362d346f042
pdf of Learning to Exhale zine: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/59c9d0362278e70c1e075b63/t/5f88888d10a14c44bb1c4f79/1602783386838/LearningToExhale.pdf
Resources from Incite! Color of Violence
- https://incite-national.org/incite-critical-resistance-statement/
- https://incite-national.org/community-accountability/
- pdf of incite full book: https://transreads.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/2019-03-25_5c983c747ace8_incite-color-of-violence-the-incite-anthology1.pdf
Political education about sexual & gender-based violence in movement spaces
- https://truthout.org/articles/why-misogynists-make-great-informants/
- on overt & covert boundary crossing: https://norasamaran.com/2016/02/12/overt-and-covert-boundary-crossings/
- full text: The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Partner Abuse in Activist Communities: http://criticalresistance.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Revolution-starts-at-home-zine.pdf (including survivor testimonials)
Learn more, read books.
- At the Dark end of the Street by Danielle L. McGuire
- Love with Accountability by Aishah Shahidah Simmons
- Emergent Strategy by Adriene Marie Brown
- Our Mother’s Hands by Resma Menakem
- Southern Horrors: Women and the Politics of Rape and Lynching by Crystal N. Feimster
Actionable Ideas/Protocols for Organizations to Adopt:
Define sexual harm to people in the organization.
Routine conversations about sexual violence in the movement including collective reading/Political Education.
Encouraging youth-only spaces and peer mentorship within organizations.
A designated team is assigned to address interpersonal conflict within organizations that rotates periodically.
An anonymous email form where people can report harm.
Allocating budget for mediation and intragroup counseling or consultants, drawing from the practitioners that are in our movement
Biannual regional summit on this issue across movements that includes political education.
Adoption of agreements between organizations i.e. endorsing and discussing protocols.
Political education annually in movements as part of orientation.
A communal culture is necessary to enforce accountability and prevent harm
A culture of trust and confidentiality is practiced so people feel comfortable sharing lamentations and are confident it won’t fall on deaf ears because actions are taken to address issues
A culture of care- promote an environment for genuine friendships to flourish; the group should take on only a sustainable level of activity; redistribution of work when necessary, and encourage a culture of assistance (Philly Stands Up 2012).
Safeguards against organizational burnout- avoid guilting people into taking on more than they volunteer, accept what people can do and cannot do
Encouraging people to maintain a life outside organizational work for personal self-development, relationships, and overall psychological well being, so as not to fall prey to perpetrators that require an individual to be shattered and lonely
Not restorative, or even transformative, but we should work toward an anti-imperialist vision of justice, something that far transcends its applicability to the local.
Team of people handling this work of eradicating harm must be trained, must bring any reports of abuse to the larger group within 48 hrs.
Resource Slides
