Activism Blog 2

Activism:

Take Back the Night was held on Thursday, March 22. I arrived early to set up, directing organizations and representatives of student groups to their tables, handing out nametags and ribbons, and sharing the night’s itinerary with all speakers. Kelly, Nicole, and I worked well as a team to facilitate and direct the event. The schedule had to be rearranged when one speaker could not attend, and I had to do an impromptu introduction for the representative from Victim’s Services of Central Florida. I never made up new chants, and was disappointed with the problematic nature of the ones we used.

Reflection:

Chants like “We are women, we are men. Stop the violence, make it end,” are not inclusive, as they do not acknowledge the presence of the LGBTQ community within the discourse of sexual and domestic violence, both as victims and survivors, perpetrators, and allies. The LGBTQ community should have a prominent voice within this dialogue; as a community they have been “subjected to intimidation, physical and verbal abuse, and hate crimes” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 258).

In the future, Take Back the Night-UCF and NOW events in general should strive to be more inclusive. This is not to say that NOW UCF does not currently strive for inclusion—of the first speakers, typically marginalized groups (within the discourse of sexual and domestic violence) like queer bodies, women of color, and surviving men were represented. It is important that

Take Back the Night is a space for agency, where survivors and allies can tell their stories, which is vital to turning the dialogue away from victimization and toward reclamation, “the need and obligation to leave victimhood behind,” to have every “part of aliveness,” and live up to the responsibility to take charge of things (Morales 284).

Another aspect of the shifts that need to occur in this dialogue is confronting “the myth that rape is about sex…rather than power and control” (Kirk and Okazawa-Rey 267). This can be done by incorporating the issues of sexual and domestic violence into the broader discourses on gender, race, class, heterosexism, white supremacy, and nationalism.

NOW at UCF can begin to address the intersectionalities of these issues, both with the work and community engagement it does, and in its own organizational body. Inclusion does not mean tokenization, and one voice cannot speak for all Others.

Reciprocity:

This semester has been a time of great growth and cultivation for me as a woman, student, and feminist, and being. I have been challenged to examine my views, my self, and my loyalty in the midst of a politicized world. I’ve come to one of many conclusions—I must continuously allow myself space to reflect and grow, I must always ask questions and communicate without regard to fear of misstepping, and I can have multiple loyalties. Things are not mutually exclusive, and I hold my own particular space within a discourse. I’ve made the decision to bring my limited but ever-expanding knowledge on what inclusion looks like to NOW at UCF, as I hold with those who deradicalize and disidentify, who recognize their flaws and limitations, but refuse to be made complicit in them.

Kirk, Gwyn, and Okazawa-Rey, Margo. “Violence Against Women.” Women's Lives:

Multicultural Perspectives. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.

Morales, Aurora Levins. “Radical Pleasure: Sex and the End of Victimhood.” Women's

Lives: Multicultural Perspectives. By Kirk, Gwyn, and Okazawa-Rey, Margo.

New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010. 283-284. Print.