In order to strive for a vision of racial justice that centers all of us the African American Policy Forum continues its work to engender every level of racial justice discourse -- from activism to media coverage to policy decisions. We are pleased to share with you the projects that AAPF has recently been involved in. Thank you for your support of our work.
BREAKING SILENCE: AN ARTS, ACTION AND HEALING SUMMER CAMP
From July 30th to August 3rd, AAPF and the Colin Powell School at CUNY convened an intergenerational group of women and girls of color from across the country for our seminal "Breaking Silence: An Arts, Action, and Healing Summer Camp" -- a collaborative program designed to advance an intersectional approach to racial justice.
At the Breaking Silence Summer Camp we demonstrated what a racial justice movement that places women and girls at its center can look and feel like. We created an unprecedented space to share our stories, and uplift our spirits using artistic modes of expression to amplify our voices and to fight for justice.
The camp gave us the opportunity to:
Advance personal healing and transformation amongst a cross-generational group of women and girls who experience racism and patriarchy;
Develop expressive testimonies about the intersections of racism and patriarchy through art forms such as spoken word, dramatic performance, extemporaneous presentation, and documentary filmmaking;
Create an organizing and activist agenda to advance the needs of women and girls of color;
Develop a national network of women and girls of color committed to working together to advance a gender-inclusive racial justice agenda; and
Prepare interested organizers and testifiers to hold future town halls.
During the Breaking Silence Summer Camp we shared an unbreakable bond of sisterhood based on a deep commitment to #SayHerName. Take a look at the videos, pictures and more from the summer camp HERE.
THE CHARLESTON IMPERATIVE
As the tragedy in Charleston fades from the headlines, it is critical that those who are committed to racial and gender justice send a message that this brutal massacre will not be forgotten. Beyond the vexing questions of forgiveness and grace, we must address what Roof's heinous act and the subsequent assaults on Black churches call upon us to do.
Two things are clear: feminists of all races and genders must aggressively denounce and repudiate Dylann Roof's murderous embodiment of racist patriarchy. White women cannot allow one shred of legitimacy to rest upon Roof's claims that these nine murders were undertaken in their name. At the same time, all antiracists must see in Roofs' rampage the fact that Black women are also targets of patriarchal racism. We can no longer give mere lip service to intersectionality and the indivisibility of social justice. The struggle against patriarchy and racism must be substantively robust and inextricably intertwined.
Please consider signing The Charleston Imperative and sharing it widely with your networks.
The African American Policy Forum continues its efforts to engender the movement to combat anti-Black police violence. To this end, on May 20, AAPF held #SayHerName: A Vigil in Remembrance of Black Women and Girls Killed by the Police. On that day, we released a new report: Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women. The July 2015 updated version of this report -- including stories about Sandra Bland as well as photos from the vigil -- is available here along with a Say Her Name Social Media Guide.
We are moved by the widespread media coverage our #SayHerName campaign has generated. Help us continue to bring the names of Black women killed by the police out of the shadows and into our collective concern by reading and sharing the following stories:
Time, "Sandra Bland's Not the First Black Woman to Experience Police Violence," by Charlotte Alter, available here.
LA Times, "Female Black Lives Matter Too," by Tina Susman, available here.
The Marshall Project, "The Sandra Bland Breakthrough," by Maura Ewing, available here.
WHYY Radio, "The Death of Sandra Bland," available here.
Huffington Post, "Driving While Black, Female and Fearless," by Sikivu Hutchinson, available here.
Ebony, "Will You Finally 'Say Her Name?' Black Women Subject to Police Violence at Alarming Rates, by AAPF staff writer Rachel Anspach, available here.
Democracy Now, "Say Her Name: Families Seek Justice in Overlooked Police Killings of African American Women," available here.
Democracy Now, "Illinois Judge Calls Police Killing of Rekia Boyd 'Beyond Reckless' But Acquits Cop on Technicality," available here.
Huffington Post, "#SayHerName: Why We Should Declare That Black Women And Girls Matter, Too," by Lilly Workneh, available here.
Huffington Post Live, "Remembering Black Women Lost to Police Violence," available here.
Washington Post, "Black lives matter — including black women’s, activists remind nation," by Marcia Davis, available here.
Colorlines, "We're Dying Too," by Say Her Name co-author Andrea Ritchie, available here.
Huffington Post, "Poet Aja Monet Confronts Police Brutality Against Black Women With #SayHerName," by Maddie Crum and Irina Dvalidze available here.
Gawker, "For Rekia, LeVena, and Shereese: The Importance of #SayHerName," by Marlon Peterson, available here.
Time Magazine, "Topless Women Stage #SayHerName Rally Against Perceived Police Brutality," by Helen Regan, available here.
Takepart, "'Say Her Name' Turns Spotlight on Black Women and Girls Killed by Police," by Britini Danielle, available here.
Mic, "Black Women Are Getting Killed by Police Too — So Why Aren’t More People Discussing It?," by Derrick Clifton, available here.
The Feminist Wire, "Beyond Saying Her Name," by Andrea Ritchie, available here.
#BREAKINGTHESILENCE TOWN HALL SERIES
New Orleans: On June 18, AAPF called attention to the realities facing Black women in post-Katrina New Orleans. The event was hosted at the National Organization for Women's annual conference.
Miami:On May 28, AAPF partnered with organizations in Miami to uplift the local experiences of women and girls of color. The audience of approximately 300 experienced a moving evening of women and girls breaking the silence and sharing their stories along with performances by local feminist artists of color.
Baltimore:On April 25, AAPF held a town hall hearing which shed light on the barriers to equality experienced by women and girls of color in Baltimore. The hearing uplifted critical gendered dimensions of racial inequities in the city.
Washington, DC:On April 20, AAPF partnered with women and girls of color in our nation's capital to hold a town hall hearing. This event was of particular import given that DC is a primary stakeholder in President Obama’s My Brother's Keeper Community Challenge. Part of this initiative is a $20 million investment in an all-boys public high school while no parallel efforts are in place for girls of color.
#HERDREAMDEFERRED
Many of you participated in #HerDreamDeferred, our five day online series on the status of Black women held the week of March 30. Each day we lifted up an issue confronting Black women in American society. The topics covered included state violence, interpersonal violence, health disparities, the wealth gap and educational barriers. Nearly 1,500 people participated in the week's events, demonstrating that many DO care about the hardships Black women face and DO wish to find genuinely inclusive solutions to racial inequality.
RESEARCHERS CONVENING
On May 21, AAPF held a seminal convening at the Columbia Law School for Black researchers whose work is focused on Black women and girls. The convening brought together 30 researchers ranging from talented graduate students to distinguished scholars. Together they developed an agenda to hold a series of gatherings designed to focus on the crisis faced by Black women and girls in the United States. In the near future, the group will issue a statement calling for the federal government to mandate the compiling of disaggregated data by race and gender so as to promote a genuinely inclusive vision of racial justice.
GET INVOLVED WITH OUR WORK
Partner with us by making a tax deductible donation to sustain our work. We depend on your continued support to advance our work advocating for an intersectional politics and racial justice agenda that centers all lives equally. You can donate by clicking here.Remember all gifts make a difference.
Stay tuned for more updates, and don't forget to download Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women and its accompanying social media guide at bit.ly/sayhernamebrief.
Email us at info@aapf.org with any questions you might have.
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