Nov

16

Check out the Texas PINK OUT!

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Filed Under News, Vlog | By Linda Hunter | Leave a Comment

The Texas PINK OUT kicked off to a rousing start yesterday!  Check out how the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center participated in this statewide (and beyond) effort to affirm that “People Are People” and discourage homophobia and gender stereotyping.
(Oh, yes…if you don’t blink, you’ll see some TAASA staff doing the PINK OUT.)

 I’d love to see (if you’ve got some photos) and hear (videos, maybe?) how you and/or your organization are participating in the Texas PINK OUT. (Send them to me at lhunter@taasa.org). Do you think the effort will make a positive difference?  Or perhaps you see it as “okay, gets some attention, but won’t really change much”? 

After I hear from you, I think I’ll have to say a bit about how it’s made me think more than I maybe wanted to!

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Nov

9

Is Social Change Work Part of the Left-Wing Liberal Agenda?

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Filed Under Prevention, Public Policy | By Annette Burrhus-Clay | 2 Comments

On more than one occasion TAASA has received feedback that our social change/social justice focus is part of the “left-wing liberal agenda” and trust me when I say this was not meant as a compliment.  I am generally not stung by criticism and realize it’s impossible to be all things to all people, but this somehow has an uglier edge to it. Don’t get me wrong. I have been called far worse names than “liberal” in my lifetime, but it’s the intention of the label that I find most disturbing.  It’s both insulting and inaccurate for liberals and conservatives alike, as well as the majority of us who identify somewhere in the middle of this political spectrum.

As citizens we all have a responsibility to confront injustice where we see it. This is not a “liberal” issue. This is our obligation as decent human beings. This is not the work of one segment of society. We are all negatively impacted by social ills such as sexual violence, racism, poverty and the list goes on. Many social scientists, activists, educators, researchers and just plain folks with common sense and common experiences have come to the conclusion that many of these issues are linked in both simple and complex ways. 

Wanting to change our society for the better is a value that seems to be shared by virtually all political parties in our country. Granted we may not all agree on the scope of the issues or with the remedies to our problems, but make no mistake, giving a damn is not restricted to left-wing liberals. I believe moderates and conservatives may take issue with the assumption that only liberals promote social change and work to right injustices.

It is my desire that we can all stop using labels as both a weapon and an excuse for inaction. There is too much work to be done for us to be negative or complacent for the weakest of reasons: it wasn’t my idea  or you are using words that are sounding too much like the other guys. I would hope we could see where we share a common vision and truly listen and learn from one another. Labeling folks tends to shut down communication, not foster it. I for one do not intend to let others define me or the work.

 I would argue that we may be allowing a very small, self-selected group of individuals who are living on the extreme fringes decide what the real issues are and then demonize those of us who do or say anything that challenges their version of reality. I do not believe that common sense, decency,  compassion, and cooperation are dead, but they certainly seem to be on life support at times. Let’s stop working so hard to magnify our differences and being paranoid over the intentions of others and realize this work is too important to leave anyone out, silence one voice, or reject the contributions of others. Social change/social justice should indeed be part of the left-wing liberal agenda and on everyone else’s agenda as well.

 

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Oct

28

You Can’t Get There from Here

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Filed Under Uncategorized | By Morgan J Curtis | Leave a Comment

A post at elephantjournal yesterday has got me thinking. The post is short and to the point, ultimately summed up in the title “Do PETA’s Ends justify their Means?” Now, I’ve been grumbling  about PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for a long time because of what I believe to be a never-ending series of misogynistic ads. However, looking beyond the misogyny itself for a minute (it’s difficult but go with me), this begs the broader question of which tactics we are willing to use to bring about the change we want to see.

I do see all oppression as linked and am therefore opposed to throwing one group under the bus for the sake of gains in one area (ahem, ENDA). Here’s the thing… we can’t create the world we want to see by consistently engaging in tactics that are inconsistent with our vision for the world, no matter how much attention those tactics may bring to our cause. Maybe objectification of women really isn’t inconsistent with the world PETA is trying to create. (You kind of have to wonder at this point, right?) I’d like to think that most of us would hold ourselves, and the causes we champion, to a higher standard than that.

Sure, maybe we don’t get as much attention as PETA. Maybe we don’t garner as much publicity and therefore get as many donations. Maybe we make smaller, more incremental changes – one person or small group at a time. To me, that is preferable to using outlandish and ultimately harmful tactics to get attention and make a point. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for outlandish as long as it’s outlandish in a way that is consistent with my ultimate vision for the world. And, it seems to me that if the attention paid PETA’s tactics were really reflective of their effectiveness then everyone would be a vegetarian by now.

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Jul

1

Sitting in the Company of Greatness

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Filed Under Powerful Women | By Tim Love | Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend an evening out with a large group of primarily women. These were important women in my life, including my partner, and our main connection was the Hays-Caldwell Women’s Center we either had worked at or were still working at – the center where I first became involved in this work directly. We were having a blast and unwinding, in a way that only such close friends and/or people who’ve worked so closely with violence on a consistent basis can. At one point in the night, I just sat back and looked down at either end of the table, and I was overwhelmed, inspired and humbled. I realized I was sitting in the company of greatness.

Maria Limón, TCFV prevention team member, recently reminded how easy it is for us to forget the daily acts of courage and success we are witness to – that this society we live in requires us to look for greatness elsewhere and to focus on the overwhelming nature of our struggle to end violence without seeing what amazing work we’ve already done. Sitting at that table, this idea rang as true as ever. In a sexist and violent society, I was sitting with a group of over 10 women who dedicated themselves to taking on that sexism and violence on a daily basis. There were mothers, students, directors of programs and front line staff. Each one of these women was radical, though they wouldn’t all identify as such. They resist violence against women in their work, and they also have survived and actively struggled against the sexism, violence and degradation they face in their own lives.

Active resistance against oppression is a radical act, and it is important to recognize it as such. As I sat there listening to their laughter in the face of such violence, not a dismissive laughter, but a triumphant and defiant laughter, I was reminded of how lucky I’ve been to work with such amazing women throughout my life.

Tell us about the women you work with and the women in your lives who are part of the resistance against the sexism and violence they face daily. Help us be inspired, like I was that night a few weeks ago and continue to be everyday.

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Jun

30

Youth as Partners in Anti-Violence Work

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Filed Under Motivating Moments | By Tim Love | Leave a Comment

I was able to stand in a circle with 22 youth and several adults and sing the theme song to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air last week. That’s right all you fans of Will Smith and 1990s sitcoms, I know the lyrics – do you? “Now this is the story all about how …” Singing (if you want to call it that) was just one part of an amazing morning spent with PODER (People Organized for the Defense of Earth and her Resources) staff and volunteers and the amazing participants in their Young Scholars for Justice program.

Our society has been devaluing and criminalizing youth for a very long time – as Young Scholars for Justice participants have learned and can tell you from experience. The result is that adults often assume the role of teacher, director, mentor and disciplinarian all in one when we engage youth in anti-violence work. These are all positions of power over youth, and this approach leaves them with few roles to take in that work. In addition, adults often believe that youth must be convinced that something is wrong – that they can’t see violence without adults showing it to them. This approach often makes youth reluctant to talk about their experiences and frustrations with injustice and violence with adults. Even with the best of intentions, it comes across as condescending and dismissive.

I remember when I was in college in a class of “non-traditional” students and the teacher told me that I would understand when I got older in response to my disagreement with one of her points. I remember how silenced and small it made me feel. When we try to tell youth how to use their voice, we continue to silence them. It is time we learn to listen, and work with youth in a way that recognizes them as both learners and teachers – as both followers and leaders. In the morning I spent with the youth at PODER and out in the community watching them knock on their neighbor’s doors and talk to their neighbors about the community’s health and safety, I learned more about using my own voice than I’ve learned from any adult in a long time. I want to say thank you to those youth, and to the adults at PODER who work side by side with these youth as equals.

Do you have any thoughts about or experiences working with youth in partnership and based on mutual respect and equity? We’d love to hear them.

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