Beyond Allyship in Gender Violence Movements

Instructor

Dr. Jess Li ( jli@iliff.edu )

Course Description

The gender violence movement (and particularly in domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking) has significantly evolved over the past few decades. Today, we have the Violence Against Women Act, #MeToo, and airport staff trained to recognize sex trafficking. And yet, it still feels like we haven’t advanced far enough. This is particularly true in nonprofit organizations, which are still primarily White women led. Yet, we know that gender violence overwhelmingly affects womxn who identify as being part of the Global Majority. What does it mean to go beyond being an ally in gender violence work to becoming a racial justice activist or co-conspirator for survivors? How do we leverage the privileges we hold to push for racial equity and be in solidarity with survivors from marginalized communities?

Learning Outcomes

1. To develop a racial equity lens in understanding how systemic oppression shows up in the field of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking
2. To recognize (using a racial equity lens) how these systems affect survivors who identify as part of the Global Majority (Black, Indigenous, Native Americans, Latiné, Middle Eastern, Asian, Pacific Islander, and Other People of Color) in the U.S.
3. To begin the process of decolonizing white supremacist norms that are critical in order to be in solidarity with communities of the Global Majority

Class Meetings (20% of grade)

(Tuesdays from 5:30pm-6:45pm MT on March 29, April 12, April 26, May 10, May 31)

Your participation is important to the success of this class for yourself and your fellow peers. These meetings will focus on different aspects of how race and racial equity affects gender violence work in the U.S. We will explore what it means to be an ally and how to move beyond allyship to be in solidarity with marginalized communities. You will have the opportunity to discuss and share your experiences. Together, we’ll explore challenging questions that will push us to question ourselves, our experiences, and how we can leverage our privileges to act as co-conspirators for survivors.

These class meetings will be recorded. If you are unable to attend, you are responsible for watching the recordings prior to the next class.

Class Bi-Weekly Postings (30% of grade)

Discussing and learning from one another is key to your own growth and that of your fellow peers. There will be discussion questions posted in Canvas after each class for you to respond to. Deeply reflect on your answers to the questions and contribute to the conversation. Students are requested to submit either 1) written answers that are 3-4 sentences or 2) recorded videos with their answers (under 3 min).

Your postings on Canvas are due on the Friday after class. Please login to Canvas again the following Wednesday to review other students’ postings and provide comments to at least two other postings.

Self-Care/Healing Plan (20% of grade) - Pass/Fail

You will be asked to submit a 3-page self-care/healing plan no later than the third class.

Final Presentation (30% of grade)

To work towards racial justice and racial equity means not upholding the status quo, getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, and challenging ourselves and the non-profit sector. Choose one of the two following projects to complete and do a 5-minute presentation at the last class. You may also do both projects if you’d like (for 10% extra credit).

• Imagine a non-profit organization serving survivors that is entirely anti-oppressive and has fully decolonized white supremacy values. What does it look like? How do they interact with the community and with existing systems? What would the organizational chart be? Who is on the board of directors? Are there power dynamics (if so, what are they)? How are they co-conspiring with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or sex trafficking?
• Create a sample racial equity lens decision making tool for a nonprofit organization serving survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or sex trafficking. What factors would they have to consider? What accountability practices would be included?

One week before the final presentation, please post a draft of your final presentation if you would like feedback from everyone.