[Antiracism] Incite! Women of Color Against Violence events in April

[earthur at mutualaid.org]

Save the dates:

Thursday, April 5, 6pm:
UMass Campus Center room 101
NO! The Rape Documentary:  An exploration of sexual violence and healing
in African-American communities --
www.notherapedocumentary.com

Wednesday, April 11, 6pm:
Cape Cod Lounge, UMass Student Union
Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology:  A conversation with Loretta
Ross & Andrea Ritchie about violence against women of color, in its many
forms

Presented by:  The Women of Color Leadership Network (UMass), Everywoman’s
Center (UMass), Black Graduate Student Organization (UMass), UMass Women’s
Studies Program, Food for Thought Books Collective, UMass Anti-War
Coalition, and Tapestry Health
•	One out of three women in the United States will be sexually assaulted
in her lifetime.
•	Women of color and their families often experience police brutality,
even arrest, when they call 911 for assistance in domestic and sexual
violence incidents.
•	At the increasingly militarized U.S./Mexico border, immigrant women risk
sexual and physical assault by civilian “vigilantes” and border patrol
officers – along with the threat of arrest and deportation.
•	As the war in Iraq rages on and casualty rates soar, reports of sexual
violence by occupying U.S. troops against Iraqi civilians and U.S. women
soldiers – the majority of whom are women of color – continue to emerge.

In recognition of disturbing statistics like these, and in honor of Sexual
Assault Prevention Month, a coalition of campus and community
organizations will host two illuminating events at UMass this April:

 NO! The Rape Documentary

 “If the Black community in the Americas and in the world would save
itself, it must complete the work this film begins.” Alice Walker,
Pulitzer Prize winning author, The Color Purple
With intimate testimonies from Black women victims/survivors, commentaries
from acclaimed African-American scholars and community leaders, archival
footage, spirited music, dance, and performance poetry, this vital work by
filmmaker Aishah Shahida Simmons breaks a long-standing and painful
silence.

Color of Violence:  The Incite Anthology Panel

Loretta Ross and Andrea Ritchie, both members of INCITE! Women of Color
Against Violence, and contributors to a new anthology, Color of Violence,
will speak about the many ways that women of color experience violence in
their lives. April is sexual violence prevention month and these outspoken
women will illustrate the ways that the idea of “sexual violence” must be
expanded and rethought to include the experiences of those whose voices
are most often silenced.

The evening will begin with organizer and scholar Loretta Ross, who will
illuminate the topic of white supremacy and reproductive justice. Andrea
Ritchie will then discuss the common and often hidden phenomenon of law
enforcement violence against women of color. This powerful panel will be
introduced by Alexandrina Deschamps, Professor of Women’s Studies at UMass
Amherst.

INCITE! is a national organization of radical feminists of color. The
group has launched a groundbreaking anthology of critical writings
demanding that we address violence against women of color in all its
forms, including interpersonal violence, such as sexual and domestic
violence, and state violence, such as police brutality, militarism,
attacks on immigrants and Indian treaty rights, the proliferation of
prisons, economic neo-colonialism, and violence from the medical industry.
In the tradition of This Bridge Called My Back, Color of Violence is an
urgent, bold, and essential intervention in the war against women of
color, their communities, and, ultimately, us all.

Loretta J. Ross is the National Coordinator of the SisterSong Women of
Color Reproductive Health Collective, a network founded in 1997 of 80
women of color and allied organizations.

Andrea J. Ritchie is a progressive lesbian feminist of African Caribbean
descent who has worked in the women’s movement in the United States and
Canada over the past 15 years as an advocate and researcher.

For more information on services and programs offered by the Everywoman’s
Center, call (413) 545-0883. For more information about the Women of Color
Leadership Network, call (413) 545-1671. To contact Tapestry Health, call
(800) 696-7752. For more on events at Food for Thought Books, visit
www.foodforthoughtbooks.com.