Spotlight: The Representation Project

The internet can be a wonderful, magical, place. It provides us hours (let's be honest: many hours) of entertainment, helps us stay connected with others and know what's happening in the world around us, and allows us to express ourselves through different artistic avenues.  It is also a place where we send and receive cultural messages -- often rapidly and sometimes unknowingly -- which can span from harmful to educational, depending on the source.

Alongside poignant articles discussing ways to think about the world differently and make it safer for others, we see advertisements with scantily clad women selling us things, telling us to look better, have more, be more.  We are inundated with messaging from media sources in all areas of our lives.  More often than not, these messages are of the "upholding stereotypes" persuasion.  However, over the years, activists have been taking to media to put forth positive messaging, or at least to help take a critical lens to the problematic and widespread negative messaging.

Programs like Media Education Foundation, which has a library of videos (including one of my all-time favorites, "Tough Guise"-- that now has a part 2!!), use media to focus on some of the issues in our society, like masculinity, sexual assault, and oppression.  And online sites, like Upworthy, help compile many great clips and stories from the many goings-ons of the internet and let's you search by topic that interests you.  These clips are easy to share on social media, and therefore can be highly visible.

I came across The Representation Project on one excursion to the Upworthy world.

Their mission states that: "The Representation Project is a movement that uses film and media content to expose injustices created by gender stereotypes and to shift people’s consciousness towards change."  Below are some clips they have put out, including a trailer for one of their videos entitled, "Miss Representation" (Warning: some potential Not Suitable For Work images).

By taking advantage of how media-heavy our world is, and with the internet being so visible to so many people, The Representation Project does a great job putting out some alternative messaging.  These clips are engaging and make important points, and I look forward to what else they have to offer.  Imagine if we were exposed to positive messaging about gender from a young age?  Deconstructing gender norms (or the concept of a binary gender all together) is part of preventing interpersonal violence, and it's exciting to see media used as an agent for change instead of a mechanism for objectification.

Laura Penney is the Community Engagement Coordinator at Safe Passage and the project director of the Say Something Prevention Initiative.

Understanding Intersectionality within Domestic Violence Prevention

Guest Blog Post: Kara Auclair is a volunteer at Safe Passage and the Community Service Fellow for Safe Passage at Smith College.

Intersectionality is one of my favorite words that I have learned as a student at Smith College. It was coined by Kimberle Crenshaw in 1989 and describes the study of the interactions of multiple systems of oppression and discrimination in society. I think this word is critical in understanding the social world of inequality and how best to address the needs of disenfranchised groups. Intersectionality focuses on the importance of understanding the unique lived experiences of those who struggle with multiple levels of oppression. For instance, not all women experience sexism the same way, and white women and women of color face different struggles in their experience of domestic violence.

Scholars like Lettie Lockhart discuss the problematic beginnings of domestic violence research and programs, which focused on the needs of the “universal woman”.1  The early intervention strategies and mainstream narratives utilized by early advocates against domestic violence generally focused on addressing the needs of a single overarching group of “women”, which really meant white middle class women. However, as the movement developed, it became clear that domestic violence is a social reality that intersects with other oppressive factors like race, sex, class, ethnicity, sexuality, national origin, ability, etc. There is no “universal woman’s” struggle.

In my training at Safe Passage, we discussed the importance of the “Umbrella of Oppression” and how certain groups and individuals experience domestic violence differently because of the unique hardships and barriers they face as they try to receive help. We know that certain people are more susceptible to domestic violence because of their vulnerability, and that there is no one way that people experience the process of dealing with abuse. It is crucial to understand these points when addressing the needs of victims and survivors, but also in prevention work.

Lockhart and her colleagues describe their model of domestic violence prevention in communities as an “Ecological Approach,” meaning they take into account all of the contextual factors that might contribute to violence in a specific community before attempting to connect with that community through prevention tactics.1 This technique addresses all of the norms, cultural practices, ideologies, and social hardships that the community might be dealing with, providing a unique background for understanding how to create the most effective workshops and other prevention initiatives. If the intersectionality of different groups’ oppression is taken into account, then prevention will be more relevant and effective. If we only consider one “universal” way of dealing with prevention, it will not speak to everyone in the same way, and might disenfranchise those who do not have access to this information for a number of reasons.

One example of this type of prevention can be found in Boston. Men and women of color have taken this tool laid out by Lockhart into action by working together in prevention efforts against domestic violence. About 40 black men took the “Black Man’s Pledge of Responsibility” which was written by women in this specific community highlighting changes they wanted their community members to make. The pledge calls upon men to “reject violence in all its forms as a means of resolving conflict” and encourage others to do so, and to help provide guidance and opportunities to young people. This is an example of an “Ecological Approach” to prevention because the efforts were made by the community itself, taking into account the unique struggles and issues relevant to the black men and women in Boston at this point in time. This technique is likely to be much more effective and beneficial to this community than a generalized model of prevention strategies not specifically formatted to this specific context.

Kimberle Crenshaw discussed the importance of intersectionality in creating a more just world. She noted that when the needs of those who are most burdened by intersecting oppressions are met, then everyone will benefit.2 Domestic violence prevention is something that every community must address, and the collective solidarity obtained through understanding and compassion can be incredibly useful in prevention work. Individual experiences shape the way in which domestic violence affects certain groups and once we bring our collective strength to this movement towards prevention, we will move closer to a world free from violence.

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1. Lockhart L, Danis F. Domestic Violence [Electronic Resource] : Intersectionality And Culturally Competent Practice / Edited By Lettie L. Lockhart And Fran S. Danis [e-book]. New York : Columbia University Press, c2010.; 2010.
2. Crenshaw, Kimberle. Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review, Vol. 43, No. 6 (Jul., 1991), pp. 1241-1299

"Violence against women has become part of the wallpaper"

Laura Bates does a great job discussing how sexism affects everyone, regardless of gender, as well as how important it is to incorporate intersectionality of identities when trying to deconstruct inequalities in our society.  She also incites hope around 13:30 and speaks to how community action has been gaining strength in the past two years around the world in response to acts of violence.  

How great it would be, though, if these actions weren't reactionary to violations of women, or if they were wide-spread around the globe, or if they weren't needed because women were no longer treated as "second class citizens".