In Defense of Ourselves: Be Bold Be Brave Wear Red on April 30, 2008

We understand that April is Sexual Assault Awareness’ Month. In conjunction with the wearing red to end sexual assault, we will also wear red to represent the many types of violence that women of color endure and how these various types of violence are interconnected.

Please check out the video below and feel free to post it to your

blogs and email it out!

from www.jumpcut.com posted with vodpod

1. Wear Red (i.e. ribbons, clothing, clown noses, etc.);

2. Read “Out of Silence” Litany at 8:00 pm/central time;

3. Take Pictures and/or video and email them to beboldbered@gmail.com

(After April 30, 2007, we want to “flood” the web with pictures and video of RED)

From Somethingwithin,

Right-thinking black people everywhere are stunned by the recent betrayal of Al Sharpton and the NAACP in a situation that is just too outrageous to ignore.

This is a painful story to tell, but it’s important for the moral, law-abiding majority of black Americans to understand exactly why Al Sharpton and the NAACP must be immediately stopped.

On June 18, 2007, a black woman was gang raped by 10 youths and forced at gunpoint to have sex with her own 12 year old son in a housing complex called Dunbar Village in West Palm Beach, Florida. The young men not only viciously punched, kicked and sliced this sister and her son with glass objects, but they also blinded her boy by pouring nail polish remover into his eyes.

The young men forced this sister and son to lay naked in a bathtub together, and attempted to set them on fire (they could not find matches). The youths boldly took cell phone pictures so that they could enjoy their violent, immoral and sadistic acts at a later time. The violence continued for more than three hours, and although this sister’s neighbors heard her screams, no one called the police or came to her aid.

This sister and her son had to walk a mile to the hospital, because the assailants stole her car, and threatened to kill her and her family if she told the authorities.

Only four of the young men have been apprehended, while the remaining six are on the loose, doing Lord knows what in our communities. There is no manhunt for the remaining suspects.

As devastating as this story is, what the NAACP and Al Sharpton have done about it will simply take your breath away:Not only did the NAACP ignore hundreds of requests to assist this woman because it was ‘outside the scope of their mission’, but they joined forces with Al Sharpton, and sent their lawyers to speak out IN SUPPORT OF THE RAPISTS.
You heard me right.

Even though there is conclusive DNA evidence and signed confessions, the NAACP and Al Sharpton are saying that it is ‘unfair’ to not offer bail to these four alleged rapists. They even had a press release about it.

IT IS TIME FOR SENSIBLE BLACK PEOPLE TO STOP THIS KIND OF NONSENSE ONCE AND FOR ALL.

Al Sharpton and the NAACP are banking on the belief that you and I will be just like this black woman’s neighbors. Join me by saying NOT THIS TIME. We will not turn a deaf ear to when we hear calls for help from one of our sisters and brothers who are being victimized.

Stop the NAACP and Al Sharpton’s National Action Network from committing this disgrace in our community. Just this once, let’s stand up and be counted by saying that we demand safe neighborhoods for our women and children.

Here is what you can do:

1. Spread the word. Forward this email if your conscience and concern have been raised. Send it to every concerned black citizen that you know.

2. Demand an explanation from your local NAACP chapter about this case. Cancel your membership to these organizations, and write a letter explaining that you will return when they prioritize the public safety needs of black women and children.

3. If you do not belong to these organizations, call and write them to tell them of your outrage and displeasure:

NAACP National Headquarters
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore MD 21215
Toll Free: (877) NAACP-98
Local: (410) 580-5777

National Action Network
Rev. Al Sharpton
106 W. 145th Street
Harlem, New York 10039
212-690-3070
877-NAN-HOJ1

If you know an African American reporter or a black radio talk show host, forward this story to them and ask them to follow up on it.

Read the history of the Dunbar Village problem here:
http://www.dunbarvillage2008.blogspot.com/

Today!!!

Check out this website,

http://www.internationalwomensday.com/default.asp

http://theclearing.wordpress.com/

TAKE ACTION

□ Violence Against Women of Color is an everyday occurrence…………………..
□ Violence and harassment against Immigrants of Color and Muslims of Color is a
reality everyday…………………………………………………………………………
□ Violence against LGBTQ People of Color is on the rise……………………………

THESE ARE ALL HATE CRIMES ARE YOU CONCERNED?

In atonement with the national Be Bold Be Brave Be Red – Wear Red Campaign
we will all be wearing red to the Hates Crimes March at the Department of
Justice. The Be Bold Be Brave Be Red Campaign is a collective of Women of
Color from across the country who is organizing to respond and give voice to
the reality of violence against Women of Color. Join the Wear Red Campaign in
the struggle to end violence against Women of Color.

Wear RED and unify with us on Friday November 16 – 12noon at the Southeast corner of
13th and Penn, in front of CVS.

From this meeting point we will march over
to Freedom Plaza and join the crowds marching to the Dept of Justice.
For more information about the Wear Red Campaign:
www.documentthesilence.com.

WE WHO BELIEVE IN FREEDOM CAN NOT
REST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!TAKE ACTION NOW- WEAR RED AND
JOIN US.

_______________________________________________________________________

Media Advisory

November 14, 2007

Contact: Rosa Clemente, 347.223.8054 or rosa@hiphopcaucus.org

Police kill another unarmed youth, enough is enough! Stop Hate Crimes and Police Violence Youth Rally and Concert at the Washington Monument, Sylvan Theater

15^th and Independence Ave. Sat., November 17, 2007 12 NOON until dark

Following the energy of the recent youth mobilization in Jena, LA, victims and family members of victims of police brutality and hate crimes, as well as national and grassroots organizations are organizing a rally and concert at the Washington Monument to mobilize youth against hate crimes, police brutality, and community violence.  The program will bring together young leaders, artists, activists and Members of Congress from the African-American, Latina/Latino, Arab-American, Muslim and progressive white communities to build solidarity for ongoing efforts to end violence in urban communities and to respond to the recent wave of hate crimes against people of color, particularly those of the Hip Hop generation.

From the murder of Sean Bell in New York late last year, to the mass mobilization for the Jena 6, the kidnapping, rape and torture of Megan Williams in West Virginia, the ruling that sided with the Juvenile Boot Camp Guards who killed Martin Lee Anderson in Florida, to the nooses appearing on University of Maryland’s campus, at the Tupac Shakur center, and throughout the country, to the murder of 14 year-old DeOnte Rawlings in Washington, DC to the latest police killing in NYC of 18-year-old Khiel Coppin., who was shot 13 times while holding a hairbrush; as a community we say “Enough is Enough! Stop the Hate and Violence.” “As the war in Iraq rages on, we are clear that there is a war here at home, against youth of color, the violence against young people of color and the unequal treatment under the law compiles us to act, resist, and organize, we must seize the time.” Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr. of the Hip Hop Caucus

On Saturday November 17^th, there will be live performances by Hip Hop artists, DC’s own Go-Go bands such as Backyard, ABM, TCB, Familiar Faces, Uncalled 4 Experience, Mambo Sauce, What Band, Hip Hop artist and activist, M1 of dead prez, Latin Rock with The Locos, and Punk.  The Hip Hop Caucus will lead and host the event.  Invited speakers include Members of Congress, family of DeOnte Rawlings, Sean Bell, Juanita Ferguson mother of Malcolm Ferguson killed by NYPD in March 2000, and Nicholas Heyward Jr., killed by NYPD housing police in 1994, youth, community leaders and national figures.

THIS EVENT IS ENDORSED BY:

The Hip Hop Caucus, Cease Fire: Don’t Smoke the Brothers and the Sisters, Peaceoholics, Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, E.G.O.S., National Congress of Black Women, ROOT, Inc., ANSWER, the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, Grassroots America, Peace-Action, October 22 Coalition, CODEPINK, members of the Congressional Black Caucus, October 22 Coalition, People’s Media Center, Latino Media Collective, and the Black Leadership Forum including - 100 Black Men of America, Blacks in Government, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Constituency for Africa, IMPACT, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, The Links, Inc., NAACP, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Ed, National Bar Association, National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials, National Black Caucus of State Legislators, National Black Justice Coalition, National Black Law Students Association, National Black Police Association, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National Conference of Black Mayors, National Council of Negro Women, National Forum for Black Public Administrators, National Black MBA Association, National Minority Supplier Development Council, National Newspaper Publishers Association, National Urban League, OIC of America, Operation HOPE, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and transAfrica Forum.

For more information contact Rosa Clemente at 347.223.8054 or at rosa@hiphopcaucus.org

###

We want to say thank you for all the women of color, comrades, and allies who wore red, hosted rallies, and read the litany at 8:00 pm/central to make public and private statements that violence against women of color must end. More things to come regarding the Be Bold Be Red campaign will be posted next week, November 10, 2007.

You can email your photos and videos to beboldbered@gmail.com!!

(After October 31, 2007, with your permission we want to “flood” the web with pictures, stories, and videos of RED. We expect to get the most pictures and video tomorrow, November 1-5, 2007)

Also, you can see people dressed in RED, by clicking on the page “Red Pictures TODAY.” These pictures were sent to us by people from across the nation committed to ending violence against women of color.

Please Read why people wore red and will continue to wear red by clicking on “Why Are You Wearing Red?”

______________________________________________________________________________

Important Statement

Additionally, there are many stories of violence against women of color we did not highlight in our initial move clip, “How do you keep a Social Movement Alive?” Therefore, in the next coming weeks we will begin updating the movie clip with stories of violence that go unheard that affect various women of color communities as well as highlighting specific ways in which state violence and citizenship makes it very difficult for immigrant women of color to speak their stories of violence.

More things to come regarding the Be Bold Be Red campaign will be posted next week, November 10, 2007.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Urgent Press Release about Violence Against a Woman of Color

From: Aishah Shahidah Simmons

I am wearing red because I am a survivor of incest and rape.
I am wearing red because I live in a City (Philadelphia) where a White Woman Judge Terri Carr Deni dropped all rape and assault charges in the case of a woman gang-raped at gunpoint. Because the woman was working as a prostitute, Judge Deni decided that she could not have been raped and changed the charge to “theft of services.” Deni later said that this case “minimizes true rape cases and demeans women who are really raped.”
On Thursday, November 1, 2007, in Philadelphia, there will be a Press Conference at 1pm Outside Municipal Court (Criminal Justice Center)1301 Filbert St. On November 6, 2007, I will voice my opinion to Judge Deni by voting “NO!” on her retention as Judge in the Municipal Court of Philadelphia.

I am wearing red because I am very clear that it doesn’t matter if you’re a stripper, a prostitute, a lesbian, a bisexual woman, a heterosexual woman, a single mother (especially with several children from different fathers), on welfare, a high school drop out, college educated, working in corporate America, working at a minimum wage job with no health insurance, or working in the film/music/television entertainment industry. Yes, I placed what some people would view as very different/distinct categories of women of Color in the same category because history has consistently shown me and all of us that if any of the aforementioned Black women are at the wrong place at the wrong time (which could be at any time), we, women of Color, will be left to heal our very public wounds alone.

http://www.notherapedocumentary.org/

be bold be brave be red stop the violence

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 31^st. Be sure to send us pictures and/or video of the event! You could even gather where you created a display!

For more Information on how to Host a RED Rally, please click on the page “How to Host a Red Rally.”

• Share your story of silence. Share your own story of silence by uploading it to the Document the Silence website (http://documentthesilence.wordpress.com/). You can send a story in any form you’d like – as a written statement, video clip, movie, documentary, or visual art. Our goal is to document the silences within our relationships, homes, families, communities, jobs, schools, faith communities, governments, and within our world. We want you to share your story of injustice. Stories that the media, elected officials, self-appointed leaders, and organizations ignore. To upload videos and visual art pieces, please email them to: beboldbered@gmail.com

• Find an event to attend with an organization for Women of Color on the Document the Silence website.

• Be an ally. Visit the Document the Silence website to download and read resources about how to be an ally and support to women of color in your community.

Download the Be Bold Be Red Flyer and pass it on to many people (i.e. Email it, post it everywhere). Click on the link below to download the flyer, wear_red_flyer1.pd

• Participate in a Stopping the Violence, Finding Strategies for Healing Town Hall Meeting. Individuals and organizations are asked to sponsor discussion groups on how to effectively address and end violence against women of color. Town Hall Meetings are designed to: document the silences surrounding women of color stories of violence; create “safe spaces” for both women and men to share their stories; and outline ways that people can stay in engaged and make a difference within their own communities. To help facilitate these discussions, we are asking organizations and individuals:

• • Show the short movie clip, How Do We Keep a Social Movement Alive?, before beginning the discussion about violence committed against women of color. http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=E44BFBCE67BF11DC9030000423CF037A
  • Download the resources and activities, which can be found on our website.

If it is DIFFICULT TO HOST A Red RALLY/GATHERING, PLEASE WEAR RED, GET WITH YOUR FRIENDS and at 8:00 pm CENTRAL READ in Unison the “OUT OF SILENCE LITANY” BECAUSE PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE NATION WILL BE DOING THE same thing. Please take Pictures and/or Video and EMAIL us at beboldbered@gmail.com, so that we can upload them on the website. After October 31, 2007, we want to flood the web with pictures and video of Red!!! Download Litany

Stop the violence, End the silence!!!!