stop violence against women

did a small demonstration in response to the call for a day of action on October 31st. The BE BOLD. WEAR RED. campaign was really important to me. i'm glad i made the space for it and that other folks came out. altogether there were 10-12 folks- mainly women- that attended. the call was in response to some violent acts perpetrated against women of color in the recent past; i recognize the racism that makes it ok to ignore violence done to brown bodies and the silence that surrounds violence done to women of color and i acknowledge that violence towards any woman is steeped in a history of sexism and patriarchy, so it was imperative that I act. i also wanted to make it more universal, so the sign i made said 'stop violence against women.' i love koyuki. she's a great friend. mike's a lucky dude to have her in his life. she helped me a lot.

two women came up and told their stories. it made the act worthwhile. i think of all the stories we didn't hear, but the women that may have felt encouraged by our making our stance. i also felt a little weird about putting something that i care about on such a public platform. it went well for two days worth of planning though...

here's the text of the call:

be bold be brave be red stop the violence http://documentthesilence.wordpress.com/

Recent events in the United States have moved us to action. Violence against women is sadly, not a new phenomenon in our country or in the world, however, in the last year women of color have experienced brutal forms of violence, torture, rape and injustice which have gone unnoticed, received little to no media coverage, or a limited community response. We are responding to:

* The brutal and inhumane rape, torture, and kidnapping of Megan Williams in Logan, West Virginia who was held by six assailants for a month.

* Rape survivors in the Dunbar Housing Projects in West Palm Beach, Florida one of whom was forced to perform sexual acts on her own child.

* A 13 year old Native American girl was beaten by two white women and has since been harassed by several men yelling "white power" outside of her home

* Seven black lesbian girls attempted to stop an attacker and were latter charged with aggravated assault and are facing up to 11 year prison sentences

In a Litany of Survival, Audre Lorde writes, "When we are silent, we are still afraid. So it is better to speak remembering we were never meant to survive." These words shape our collective organizing to break the silence surrounding women of color's stories of violence. We are asking for community groups, grass-root organizations, college campus students and groups, communities of faith, online communities, and individuals to join us in speaking out against violence against women of color. If we speak, we cannot be invisible.

Join us and stand up to violence against women!

* Be bold, be brave, be red. Wear red on October 31, 2007. Take a picture or video of yourself and friends wearing red. Send it to: beboldbered@gmail.com. We'll post it!

* Take Your Red to the Streets! Know of a location where violence occurred against a woman of color? Have a public location where you feel women of color are often ignored? Make violence against women of color visible by decorating the space in red. Be sure to send us pictures and or video of your display!

* Rally! Gather your friends, family, and community to rally. Check out the Document the Silence website for the litany we're asking participants to read together on October 31st. Be sure to send us pictures and/or video of the event! You could even gather where you created a display!
--
STOP THE VIOLENCE
WEAR RED ON OCTOBER 31, 2007
http://documentthesilence.wordpress.com/

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and here's a tiny picture of us before City Hall in Philadelphia: