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31 de Octubre, 2007
Because Red is the Color that my Baby Wore...
Categorized under Acción , Corazón , Violencia | Tags: Que Viva Las Mujeres, Soul of the World
AND WHAT'S MORE, it's true....
Recent events in the United States have moved us to action. Violence against women is sadly, not a new phenomenon in our country or in the world, however, in the last year women of color have experienced brutal forms of violence, torture, rape and injustice which have gone unnoticed, received little to no media coverage, or a limited community response. We are responding to:
• The brutal and inhumane rape, torture, and kidnapping of Megan Williams in Logan, West Virginia who was held by six assailants for a month.
• Rape survivors in the Dunbar Housing Projects in West Palm Beach, Florida one of whom was forced to perform sexual acts on her own child.
• A 13 year old native American girl was beaten by two white women and has since been harassed by several men yelling “white power” outside of her home
• Seven black lesbian girls attempted to stop an attacker and were latter charged with aggravated assault and are facing up to 11 year prison sentences.
And sadly so much more. We could take this from Juarez to Washington to China to Australia and back and around again. Violence against women of color (and just violence against women) has touched too many lives. Today is a day for wearing red. There are many reasons to do so (like simply being caring and concerned) but here is one put very well from a commenter on http://documentthesilence.wordpress.com:
Today I’m feeling very emotional.I have been forced to remember October 19, 1964, the day of my 9th grade graduation trip and the day my best friend died. Susie was fourteen and taking a short cut through Branch Brook Park to take film to the drug store of pictures we had taken at the world’s Fair;she was raped and stabbed fourteen times. Over the years violence against girls and women has increased and as back then very little was said about it. I even recall some of the church women asking “what was she doing in the park?”, as if that should justify someone killing her.
I believe that unless women take a stand against violence against girls and and women for any reason we will never see and end to this horror. I, my daughter, and granddaughters will wear red. I’m going to wear red in memory of my friend. I’m going to ask everyone I know including some of our female elected officials to participate in this observance. After reading this blog I went to look and see what I owned that was red. I am from the Moses generation, in those days the Pentecostal faith preached against women who wore red. I remember being told once “you got on red shoes and a red dress like a full fledge whore” I was sixteen had no knowledge of what see meant. I stopped wearing red for twenty years after that. I thought about the movie Women of Brewster Place and how Jack’ee was dressed in red when she attracted the attention of the good minister. What I know today that I didn’t know yesterday is that the color of her dress was not the issue, she was vulnerable and he took full advantage of that fact.
Yes I’ll wear red from head to toe for all the women that have died without justice,but more for those who will die unless we do something and it needs to happen right away.
For more info, or ways to participate see the site.
Gracias to M, for tipping me off to this. And to the Beatles for the title of the post.
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Comentarios (8)
La Molina dijo:
This is why I own, and sometimes pack a 38 caliber handgun, a couple cans of pepper spray, 14 inch long lead pipe and a 3 inch hunting knife. Not all at once because it's not like I'm paranoid or anything! but I have escaped several assaults and attempted assaults.
As a women, I won't put up with it. Take me on and you might get a surprise.
Palabras por La Molina spat forth on el 31 de Octubre, 2007 at 01:11 PM
nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez
dijo:
don't mess with la molina!
Palabras por nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez
spat forth on el 31 de Octubre, 2007 at 01:46 PM
Rafael dijo:
More power to La Molina!
Palabras por Rafael spat forth on el 31 de Octubre, 2007 at 03:45 PM
Jose Chung dijo:
¿Las mujeres de color? ¿Qué tiene esto que ver con el color?
Palabras por Jose Chung spat forth on el 31 de Octubre, 2007 at 08:56 PM
nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez
dijo:
just passing it along, my friend. that's the idea, i didn't make it up. follow the links and read up if you are interested.
Palabras por nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez
spat forth on el 31 de Octubre, 2007 at 09:33 PM
M dijo:
Jose, the reason why it's for "women of color" is particularly in the United States, many horrible instances of violent sexual and physical assault have happened to women who are nonwhite, and the media coverage received from the assaults has been scarce. We hear more about the fake killer of a young white girl who died many years ago than we hear about these recent and very harrowing crimes. (Sidewink: myup, John Mark Karr's getting married, don'tchaknow.) We had an instance where the disappearance of a black woman was relegated to the sidelines in media coverage for Paris Hilton's trip to jail.
The outrage stretches beyond the lack of a media outcry, but that's one of many factors that went into this event helping and prioritizing nonwhite women, or women of color. "Women of color" is a term to encompass all women in the U.S. who do not identify or cannot be identified as "white."
Palabras por M spat forth on el 1 de Noviembre, 2007 at 05:50 AM
nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez
dijo:
thanks for taking the time to explain what might feel obvious, M.
Palabras por nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez
spat forth on el 1 de Noviembre, 2007 at 08:24 AM
Joan Kelly dijo:
And as far as I'm concerned, people can start leaving off the qualifier "...of color" when even ONE of the news stories about Ms. Williams, the women currently jailed in New Jersey, the Dunbar Village women, the Native American girl - when there is even one news story about any of them and any other woman of color that does NOT contain veiled or direct accusations against the women themselves as participants or provocateurs in what happened to them, versus the constant stream on Nancy Grace and elsewhere of purified white women who are missing or hurt or dead, then maybe we will be one tiny step closer to having all women viewed and treated as women. As people. And especially as women. In other words, I will stop the qualifying when other people do.
Palabras por Joan Kelly spat forth on el 2 de Noviembre, 2007 at 09:15 AM