| « Jan |
|
Mar » |
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | ||||
This week Arizona Congressional Representative Gabrielle Gifford is stepping down. Gifford was shot in the head nearly a year ago outside a grocery store while talking with constituents. Six others present were killed and many others wounded.
Here is her moving resignation video:
This week Gabrielle Union caused an uproar when she tweeted about Rihanna’s recent video Man Down.
Unfortunately in all of the uproar, Gabrielle Union rather than her message became the focus. Her message was this: we need to talk about rape and Rihanna’s video is getting the conversation going. She expressed understanding but not approval for the solution to rape portrayed in Rihanna’s video, “Man Down”. (more…)
When a terrorism attack breaks out, the event consumes news channels. Reporters are eager to interview survivors and the general public craves immediate updates on Fox and Sky TV. But weeks, months, and years later the attack is often forgotten to all but the survivors and their closest friends. The plentiful articles and coverage become hard to find on the web and the story disappears. All that is left is a brief description in a list of terrorist attacks on Wikipedia and various advocacy websites and blogs.
Several survivors and videographers are fighting to change that. In the last year a number of documentaries have been released chronically the experience of survivors during the crisis and the years after. These stories cover the impact of terrorism across Asia and the Middle East.
But more than that, they drive home an essential truth known by survivors. Terror does not stop life. When we only see the immediate horror of a terror attack we get a distorted view that minimizes both bad and good. We see the terror, but not the true cost played out over time. We see chaos and loss, but not the reflective processes that lead to insight, courage, and a creative drive to counter horror with justice.
Killing in the Name, directed by Jed Rothstein, tells the story of Ashraf al-Khaled who lost 27 members of his wedding party in the November 9, 2005 Amman hotel bombings. One of Rothstein’s goals was to move beyond the tragedy and explore how al-Khaled integrated what happened into his on-going life and work. The documentary was nominated for an Oscar in 2010. For screening information contact the Global Survivors Network.
FIVE , directed by Khurrum Mahmood , tells the story of five Pakistani survivors – screened during the Cannes International Film Festival . The documentary features the experience of five survivors: Waqar Khalid, Sayed Ali Shah, Ifran Malik, Nawab Sheer, and Tahir Malik. Tahir Malik is one of the founders of the Pakistan Terrorism Survivors Network, a group that works to support survivors of the many terrorist attacks within Pakistan. For screening information contact the Global Survivors Network.
“I Witness” records the reflections of people of three different faiths who were survivors of the Decmeber 28, 2009 Karachi Ashura bombing. One survivor concludes that the terrorists have undercut their own methods:
They think they can scare us from death, but they have forgotten that martyrdom is an honour for us. These terror attacks have taken away the fear of death from our hearts. But it doesn’t mean that we don’t cry or we don’t feel grief. It’s actually that we have learned to reply cruelty with our patience. We want to tell the terrorists that great nations can survive in any situation. They keep on living happily.”
The documentary was shown during The London International Documentary Festival (May 13-28, 2011).
Beyond Mumbai: Hope and Healing tells the story of the November 26, 2008 Mumbai Bombings through the eyes of several survivors who were on a trip together with Alan and Naomi Scherr. Alen and Naomi Scherr were killed in the bombing. The documentary is in five parts: 1 2 3 4 5
“Prison and Paradise”, directed by Daniel Rudi Haryanto, follows the stories of five Muslim children orphaned by the Bali bombing attack. It demonstrates the irony of religiously motivated terrorism: the terrorist attacks perpetrated in the name of Islam increased the number of orphans, a group which Islam sees as deserving special protection. Not only did the attack leave the children of those murdered without parents. One of the perpetrators had two children that he could not tend to because of being jailed by the attack.
The documentary premiered at the 2010 Dubai International Film Festival. For more information about the film and screenings, see http://prisonandparadise.blogspot.com/.
“Their eyes were dry” , directed by Brandon Assanti , is a full length film documenting the May 15, 1974 Ma’alot massacre . 22 children and 3 adults were killed when terrorist took hostage a high school in the Galilean town of Ma’alot, Israel. The story of the massacre is told through the eyes of the now adult children who were held hostage. The movie was screened in several theatres across the USA on May 9, 2011. For screening information and stills, see http://www.theireyesweredry.com/.
“FIVE” and “Killing in the Name” are projects of the Global Survivors Network, a group advocating against terrorism. It was founded by terror attack survivors Ashraf al-Khaled (Amman hotel bombings) and Carie Lemack (9/11) as an outgrowth of their work together on Killing in the Name.
“Beyond Mumbai: Hope and Healing” is a project of Odyssey Networks .
“I Witness” was developed with the help of Pocket Visions Filmaking for Social Change. The project provides young Pakistanki filmakers with the training needd to make their own films.
Betty Makoni’s mission is to give girls who have been raped the confidence to transform from victims to survivors to leaders. Through her organization, Girl Child Network Worldwide (GCNW), she has built up a small group of girls in a rural school in Zimbabwee into a force of young women spanning three continents: Africa, Europe, and North America.
The video to the left is the first in a four part series on YouTube describing Marconi and her work in Zimbabwe (1 2 3 4). GCNW is modeled on her work in Zimbabwe and accomplishes its mission with a unique blend of peer empowerment, adult role models, cultural tradition, modern human rights philosophy, and social advocacy. The project began in 1998 when Makoni was working as a teacher. She noticed that there were twice as many boys as girls in her classes and girl students often attended irregularly. One day she decided to start asking the girls why this was so and found out that they were carrying the weight of many of Zimbabwe’s social ills: parents who had AIDS, abuse at home, early marriage, or shame and trauma from rape. Rape of young girls is especially common in Zimbabwee because as many as 1 in 10 men believe that the blood of a virgin with cause them to prosper financially or heal them from AIDS.
Makoni, an English teacher, decided that her job as a teacher required her to educate the entire child and not just the child’s brain. (more…)
| May 4, 2010 |
Forty years ago on May 4, 1970, 4 students were killed and 11 injured when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on a students protesting the Vietnam war on the campus of Kent State Univerisy. The shootings divided the USA. Some wondered how a nation could treat its own children in this manner. Others unconditionally accepted whatever decisions were made by the National Guard. College campuses exploded with demonstrations and within a week 100,000 marched on the US capital to protest.
That day four families lost a child.
Dean Kahler survived the attack but the bullet in his spine put him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. In the years immediately following his parents struggled with overprotectiveness and he worked to overcome his anger at the loss of the use of his legs. Even with the anger, the shooting only served to strengthen his conviction that there must always be an alternative to violence and war. To work through his anger he became active in wheelchair sports and helped out with his school’s disability office.
The political allegiances that split the nation also fed the blame-the-victim mentality that so often affects the survivors of violent crimes. Along side many, many letters of support, Dean Kahler received hate mail. Some letters even wished he had died. Joseph Lewis, Jim Russell, and Robert Stamps, belonged to families that were certain that the National Guard was in the right. Their families responded to their injuries with anger and judgment rather than support.
But loss is only the beginning of the story. Kent State has turned into a historic event because the survivors found ways to turn their loss into both personal and social healing. (more…)
In 2003, Samantha Geimer wrote an Op-Ed in the LA Times. In the op-ed piece she discusses the rape and expressed three frustrations with life after rape:
Looking back, there can be no question that he did something awful. It was a terrible thing to do to a young girl. But it was also 25 years ago — 26 years next month. And, honestly, the publicity surrounding it was so traumatic that what he did to me seemed to pale in comparison….
I know there is a price to pay for running. But who wouldn’t think about running when facing a 50-year sentence from a judge who was clearly more interested in his own reputation than a fair judgment or even the well-being of the victim? … My attitude surprises many people. That’s because they didn’t go through it all; they don’t know everything that I know. People don’t understand that the judge went back on his word…..
The one thing that bothers me is that what happened to me in 1977 continues to happen to girls every day, yet people are interested in me because Mr. Polanski is a celebrity. That just never seems right to me. It makes me feel guilty that this attention is directed at me, when there are certainly others out there who could really use it.
Looking back at all the verbage spilled over the Polanski rape case I’m wondering why so little is being written on these questions. We say child rape should be punished strongly because it is so hurtful to victims. But aren’t we also hurting a victim by ignoring her questions? The first rule of compassion is to give what a person needs and not what we want or expect them to need.
Rape and the media. Geimer declares that the media treatment was more traumatic than the rape. Was she merely exaggerating? Should we not take her at her word? She seems to mean it. In October, 2009, shortly after Polanski’s arrest she was back in the news, pleading to be left alone and warning that the media circus that accompanies celebrity rapes discourages victims of celebrities from filing complaints.
Rape media coverage can be brutal, especially when the alleged rapist is a celebrity. Anyone following the shenanigans of Ben Roethlisberger in the US or Jack Tweed in the UK knows this. To see just how brutal, take a look at our in depth review of the trial coverage and scroll down to the description of the Daily Mail’s equal opportunity slam. Or alternative enter “Ben Roethlisberger Andrea McNulty” into google. Even when the coverage isn’t hostile, excessive attention can be very disruptive. She is raising a very important point and she is being ignored.
I’m not the only victim in town. We’ve also largely ignored Geimer’s worry that society marginalizes rape unless there is a celebrity involved. There are other cases that have just as much or more need for attention than hers.
Geimer isn’t the only one whose raised the question. Way back in September, ABC interviewed UCLA law professor Peter Arnella. Why, he asked, would a prosecutor spend so much energy and money going after a one-time offender from 30 years ago when it is cash strapped? The prosecutor brushed it aside as a case where principle matters more than economics: “offenders don’t get to choose their punishment”.
But in this case, do principles really matter more than economics? What is the opportunity cost of pursuing Polansky? How many below-the-poverty-line kids have abusers that aren’t being prosecuted because it would divert resources from the Polanski case? How many prosecutions are only half prepared because there isn’t enough money budgeted for the case? How many local crimes are we going to prevent by spending money on legal sparring with Polanski rather than on locking up that local guy breaking parole by hanging around outside of school playgrounds?
A deal is a deal. Geimer contends that the judge made a promise and then reneged on it. Lies and broken promises by an authority figure are a key element of Geimer’s rape complaint. They are a key element of almost any non-violent rape. Assuming she is telling the truth about a deal, is it any wonder she should react negatively to a judge’s broken promises? Is she being overly sensitive? Or are we minimizing? Can we really afford to treat her concerns about judicial deception lightly?
Is this really about Polanski? If we think the original deal gave too light a sentence, perhaps then we should be asking why the prosecutor made that deal in the first place?
A 90-day sentence for a drug facilitated rape of a minor should make us mad. But we shouldn’t take that anger out on the victim. We should place it where it belongs: on a judge who thought that Polanski deserved no more than a slap on the wrist. The transcript from sentencing reads:
The probation report discloses that although just short of her 14th birthday at the time of the offense, the prosecutrix was a well developed young girl who looked older than her years; and regrettably not unschooled in sexual matters. She has a 17 year old boyfriend, with whom she had sexual intercourse at least twice prior to the offense involved. The probation report further reveals that the prosecutrix was not unfamiliar with the drug quaalude, she having experimented with it as early as her tenth or eleventh year……..However, although the prosecutrix was not an inexperienced and unsophisticated young girl, this of course was not a license to the defendant, a man of the world, in his forties, to engage in an act of unlawful sexual intercourse with her
Do you see the hint of “it isn’t rape unless she’s a virgin” ?
A judge who truly understood rape would not care whether Geimer had tried sex or drugs before. The only thing that should have mattered was the gap in their ages. In essence the judge is saying “yeah, it is wrong, but not wrong-wrong. Sure, Polanski shouldn’t have done it, but It isn’t like we are spoiling a pure innocent child. He didn’t introduce her to sex or Quaaludes.” Is it any wonder the judge gave such a light sentence? Isn’t it time the State own up to its own mistakes?
Geimer wants the case closed because a deal is a deal. Polanski wants testimony about the sentencing decisions unsealed so he can prove a deal is a deal. The State wants to keep them sealed. Why? If the State behaved itself, what does it have to fear?
At 6 AM today, Vanessa Kennedy finished 24 hours of continuous blogging to raise money for the Angela Shelton Foundation. For 24 hours straight, Vanessa Kennedy, and her friends posted a new blog post each hour on the hour. The blogathon aimed to raise $1000. As of the close of the blogathon it had reached 84% of it’s goal. Those interested in making a donation can visit the blogathon’s donation page.
The blogathon explored the experience of survivors from many perspectives: family, friends, the survivors themselves, art, poetry, music and social action. The blogathon posts show how coming to terms with rape is both a difficult and life renewing process. But these are more than just survivor stories. They are narratives that show the interaction between life experience and the creative processes that lead to art, literature, and social action:
A synopsis of the individual posts in chronological sequence follows:
| 6 AM: | And So It Begins |
| 7 AM: | Searching for Angela Shelton |
| 8 AM: | Your chance to win a SIGNED copy of Finding Angela Shelton |
| 9 AM: | Angela B’s story |
| 10 AM: | “She is” – A poem by Megan F |
| 11 AM: | Kristen’s story |
| noon: | Michell C.’s story |
| 1 PM: | Our Silence: A poem by John Harrison |
| 2 PM: | A Daughter’s story |
| 3 PM: | Inwood’s story |
| 4 PM: | Megan F’s story |
| 5 PM: | Who Votes for Skipping April – A blog from Tracie |
| 6 PM: | Dannyn’s story |
| 7 PM: | My Story (Vanessa’s story) |
| 8 PM: | My best friend Jen’s story |
| 9 PM: | A Friend & Supporter’s Perspective – Alex C. |
| 10 PM: | My Father’s Perspective |
| 11 PM: | Guided path – Diann’s story |
| midnight: | Suzanne’s story |
| 1 AM: | Joanna’s story |
| 2 AM: | Middle Pieces by Kim Lampe |
| 3 AM: | Megan S’s story |
| 4 AM: | The Poetry Post |
| 5 AM: | Angela’s Language of the Heart by Janie Blakely |
| 6 AM: | WOOOT! I DID IT! WE DID IT! |
This is the fourth in a series of 12 blogathons sponsored by members of Angela’s Army of Angels. The first of these was sponsored by Joanna Doane and used a classic “thon” fundraising model. Donors pledged dollar amounts for each hour of sustained blogging. There were a total of 48 posts, one each hour on the half hour. The project was so successful that it inspired the Army of Angels to turn it into a monhly event. The more recent blogathons are using an online donation service to collect one time donations rather than per-hour donations. Previous blogathons can be viewed at the following websites:
For upcoming blogathon events see the Army of Angel’s website.
The Angela Shelton Foundation sponsors a variety of projects aimed at inspiring survivors of sexual and domestic violence. The projects included The Survivors Manual – a website and blog featuring self-empowerment and healing tips for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual assault, workshops, an annual conference for survivors, and Angela’s Army of Angels. They are also seeking to sponsor additional projects in the arts and media that aim to inspire survivors or end violence. Funding comes from revenue generated by the documentary Searching for Angela Shelton and survivor fundraising projects like this month’s blogathon.
Threesome (Felix Nussbaum)
When I was a child I loved to read Holocaust stories. My parents were preoccupied with themselves and their dissolving marriage. I got teased a lot at school. The stories of young people who lived during the Holocaust reminded me of how much worse life could be. They helped me understand that no matter how frustrating my life was, I had the option of growing up and escaping.
At thirty, in the middle of the night on Rosh HaShanna, everything changed. More »
Teri Hatcher in a charity triathlon
Teri Hatcher, one of the lead actresses in Desperate Housewives, has been on an empowerment kick since she decided to go to prosecutors with her story of childhood incest. In her latest move, she is partnering with Disney to start a website aimed at empowering women to enjoy life and themselves: www.gethatched.com.
In January, 2002 while helping her mother with a pre-moving day garage sale, Teri read an old newspaper story about an 11 year old girl who committed suicide after having been molested by the same man who had molested Teri more than 30 years early.
Coming forward was not easy. At the time she was out of work and she was afraid that the tabloids would hear about her conversations with the DA and paint her as an ex-star seeking attention. She also carried her own self-blame from her childhood. She pushed herself forward all the same in part to help the 11 year old girl’s grieving family, in part to tie up loose ends in her own story, and in part because she knew that in all the years between her molestation and the girls, he must have had many other victims.
Her testimony convinced the man to plead guilty and he was sentenced to 14 years in jail. Had she not come forward, the molester would have walked free – the only witness in the case was dead.
Two years later, Teri was given a role in a new TV series, Desperate Housewives. Normally, she would have tried to figure out what the director wanted, but this time she simply let her vision of the role develop and acted out of that vision. She won the part despite her initially being far from a first choice candidate. By 2006, the show had become a huge hit and she was no longer an unemployed has-been actress.
With her career on an upswing she decided again to put the truth within her above what she thought others wanted of her. In the April, 2006 issue of Vanity Fair she told the story of her childhood molestation and the 2002 conversations with the DA. Initially she came forward because she was tired of being accepted for only a part of herself. She felt she needed to acceptance for all of who she is. Once again she was surprized by the impact. Within a day, the DAs office had calls from 25 other victims of the same man. In the months following she received thousands of letters from people who had decided to file reports of long lost crimes, just to have their story on record in case their abuser ever became a suspect.
Teri’s experiences have made her sensitive to the need all women have, herself included, for empowerment. In a special edition of Larry King featuring 12 celebrity survivors of childhood sexual abuse, she said
“These experiences that we have in our lives, both personally and professionally, leave us with a choice, a choice to use our experiences to enlighten and empower and change people’s lives and that is a choice that I am getting behind”.
In May, 2006, she published her book “Burnt Toast: And Other Philosophies of Life”. She says wrote the book to empower women to find ways to value themselves without taking away from others. She further explains her purpose:
“My purpose in writing this book was to try to help stop the pattern in women to take less than what they deserve.. I don’t think you have to be molested to be in pain as a woman, to feel like you don’t deserve good things… we are all women who don’t treat ourselves well enough. Women walk around feeling like everything is their fault.”
In 2006 she also appeared along with the Muppets in a PSA sponsored by the Will Rogers foundation, advertising a free brochure to help teens deal with stress. In October 2007 she wrote an article for Newsweek telling her own story. At the end of the article she encourages survivors still feeling shame and self blame to seek help from RAINN, a nationwide referral service for survivors of sexual assault.
In September, 2009 sponsored in part by Disney, she ran a triathlon to raise funds for Children’s Hopsital Los Angeles. She hoped to inspire other moms like herself and followed up the run with two articles in ModernMom.com, one comparing motherhood to running a triathlon and the other reflecting on competition and motivation.
Today Disney is sponsoring Hatcher in quite a bit more than a triathlon.
As part of our goal of promoting the work of survivor activists, we have added several new categories to our resource section. These categories show case the work of survivors whose experiences have lead them to create works of art, start social entrepreneurship projects, collect stories of survivors, or write their own.
For more information, please check out our two new resource pages, available in a drop-down list under “Resources” in the If She Cry Out website menubar:
In the future we plan to followup with articles on individual activists, their artistic endeavors and the organizations they have started.
If you are a survivor of violent crime or a terror attack or are managing a project or organization started by one, please let us know what you are doing. For contact information, see the contact page.
