Safer Solidarity Statement
Statement of Solidarity with Black Lives
Safer stands in support of Black and Brown communities and against systemic racism and violence that has resulted in trauma and loss of valued lives. Black lives matter. Gender- & power-based violence is rooted fundamentally in power and control and is inextricably tied to the systems and institutions that perpetuate systemic racism. The issues of racial injustice and gender- & power-based violence directly intersect, and we cannot fully support survivors & dismantle rape culture without committing to the liberation of all marginalized identities.
In community,
Gillian Cutshaw, Campus Advocate
Jennifer MacMartin, Prevention Specialist for Gender-Based Violence Initiatives
Kara Samaniego, Assistant Director of Wellbeing
Meg Stuart, DOJ Grant Coordinator
Sara Wilson, AmeriCorps VIP Fellow
Here is what Safer is committing ourselves to:
- Continue to center anti-racist and anti-oppression work in our gender- & power-based violence prevention and advocacy.
- Strive for diverse representation among our student and professional staff.
- Commit to practicing cultural humility and continuing education about the intersections of systematic oppression and violence.
- Partner with programs and organizations that are centering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) voices and experiences.
- Collaborate with Title IX, law enforcement, and community partners to ensure a safe community for all our students, faculty and staff.
If you need support, please know the following confidential services are available to you:
To further educate about how racial justice is connected to violence prevention:
- Anti-Racism as Violence Prevention - Futures Without Violence
- Understanding Racism and its Connection to Sexual and Domestic Violence – PreventConnect
Educational Material
Books to Read
On Antiracism
How to Be an Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism by Dr. Robin DiAngelo
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
On the Experience of Racism
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
The Bridge Called My Back, Writings by Radical Women of Color edited by Cherríe Moraga and Gloria Anzaldúa
My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race by Beverly Daniel Tatum
On History
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
Resources for Black Individuals and Communities
Liberate Meditation App (by and for people of color)
Antiracism Resources
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
