Following Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s courageous testimony, survivors and activists within the United States and around the world have expressed how powerful her statement was and many survivors found familiarity in her experiences. The hearings were also a stark reminder of the systemic injustices targeting women and marginalized communities in our society.
Nothing is more powerful than when women tell their stories. As we continue to bare witness to this violence and work to end it, we must remember that our voices and stories are vital for creating necessary change. We refuse to be silenced.
We encourage all those who connected with Dr. Ford’s story, those who want to elevate their own voices, and those who want to advocate for survivors everywhere, to reflect on what they can do to create a positive impact.
Survivors Speaking Their Truth, Standing Up to Power; Take Action:
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HELP SUPPORT RAPE CRISIS CENTERS AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS AND SURVIVORS IN YOUR COMMUNITY, STAGE A V-DAY BENEFIT
Since the hearings last week, calls to rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters have increased exponentially. V-Day and One Billion Rising – founded for survivors by survivors – are catalysts that call for justice through art – increasing awareness and raising funds for rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters, & programs in communities that support survivors.
When activists stage V-Day benefit productions of The Vagina Monologues and A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer, they remind us with each performance, that the personal is political, that speaking out can be an act of resistance. The process of staging events like these is transformative; survivors heal, vital conversations are being opened up in communities, and funds are raised for local organizations that are advocating to end violence against all women and girls. Through One Billion Rising Events, artistic uprisings are taken out of the theater and into the streets, where activists use creative platforms to tell their stories and advocate for necessary change.
As organizers continue to hold radical spaces for V-Day and One Billion Rising events, we encourage and call for spaces that honor and centralize the needs, experiences, and stories of survivors. What this looks like will depend on the needs of the college/community organizing, and can include items such as writing or other creative and healing workshops, and an in-person resource such as a counselor to act as support in case of triggering content at events.
Through this creative resistance, activists attack the silence that allows for violence against women to continue and call for an end to impunity.
V-Day: Say It, Stage It – Produce a V-Day Benefit as an Artistic Uprising at your college/university, in your community
One Billion RISING: Rise In Solidarity – RISE in your community, for your community
City of Joy: Turn Pain to Power – Screen the Documentary, Support the Women in DR Congo
When women take the stage, incredible things happen, as their issues are voiced and confronted for all to see and hear.
