{"id":38397,"date":"2016-04-27T11:33:46","date_gmt":"2016-04-27T11:33:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=38397"},"modified":"2016-04-27T11:36:29","modified_gmt":"2016-04-27T11:36:29","slug":"prevention-is-possible-recognizing-the-intersectionality-of-all-isms-in-the-eradication-and-prevention-of-sexual-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=38397","title":{"rendered":"Prevention Is Possible: Recognizing The Intersectionality Of All \u2018Isms\u2019 In The Eradication And Prevention Of Sexual Violence"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is a Sexual Assault Awareness Month editorial.<\/em><\/p>\n

Oppression is \u2018the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner\u2019; and \u2018the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions & anxiety\u2019 (1). Oppression is sibling to expressions of abuse, coercion, domination and injustice \u2013 much like the descriptors of acts of sexual violence. This April, as we observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month and promote the national theme \u2018Prevention is Possible\u2019, you \u2013 the reader \u2013 is asked to take \u2018a pause for the cause\u2019; and, in this moment of reflection, you are also urged to seek a sense of urgency in examining, identifying and acknowledging oppression and the means through which it manifests in our community through your thoughts, your communication and your actions. Likewise, you are urged to assess how these concepts and \u2018norms\u2019 perpetuate oppression through sexual assault and rape in our community.<\/p>\n

We are not always inclined to conduct self-assessments that would demand authentic confessions such as victim blaming, stereotyping, labeling, assuming, justifying\u2026the list can go on. However, it is only through these honest evaluations that we can further identify all oppressive behaviors, which are more often than not, manifested through our perpetuation of \u2018isms\u2019. Yes, OUR \u2018isms\u2019 perpetuate sexual violence in our Virgin Islands community. Sexism, heterosexism, colorism, ageism, nativism…ALL perpetuate oppression and fuels sexual violence in its various forms. As such, you are invited, through the next couple of paragraphs, to broaden your perspective on sexual assault and rape and to recognize the intersectionality of all injustice.<\/p>\n

Sexism, or the traditional stereotypes of gender roles, is evident when we speak to our young boys and make statements like \u2018why are you crying?\u2019, or \u2018check your woman meh son\u2019. It is evident when we speak to our young girls and make statements like \u2018she high class\u2019, or \u2018you better go cook for your man\u2019. What may not be so evident, however, are the seeds of internalized oppression that are planted when we don\u2019t acknowledge the weight that these statements have on highly impressionable youth. Many of our youth may not have the resources, support or ability to refute these statements with thoughts of equality and healthy alternatives. Therefore, the typical response to \u2018not crying\u2019 becomes \u2018verbally abusing\u2019; the response to \u2018check your woman meh son\u2019 becomes \u2018force your woman to silence through non-consensual sex\u2019. The response to \u2018she high class\u2019 becomes \u2018lowering standards to meet status quo and possibly devaluing one\u2019s body in the process\u2019. Then, the response to \u2018you better go cook for your man\u2019 becomes \u2018He could cook for himself \u2013 I could find another man today\u2019. Can you see how the roots of sexism can flourish into a tree of sexual violence and oppression?<\/p>\n

Heterosexism, or the attitude that heterosexuality is superior to homosexuality or bisexuality, is obvious in our community. We experience it when statements like \u2018As long as it\u2019s not in my face\u2019, or \u2018Dem people confused\u2019 are made. It is even more obvious when our society embraces vocabulary like \u2018battyman, fagot and punky\u2019. What may not be so obvious, however, are the seeds of discrimination and segregation that are planted. This is what occurs when we don\u2019t take ownership for the outcomes of a marginalized population that feels confined to acts of deception in lieu of association but in hopes of validation. Therefore, the response to \u2018As long as it\u2019s not in my face\u2019 becomes \u2018Reproductive abuse and excessive childbearing as a mask for one\u2019s true identity\u2019 (or as our community often references, \u2018men who are on the \u2018down low\u2019). Accordingly, the response to \u2018Dem people confused\u2019 becomes the shame based \u2018trigger\u2019 for \u2018successful suicides and attempted LGBTQ genocide\u2019. Do you see how the roots of heterosexism can flourish into a tree of sexual violence and oppression?<\/p>\n

Colorism, or biases based on skin tones and hair types, is present when we make statements like \u2018You have good, pretty hair\u2019 or \u2018the black one \u2013 not the pretty redbone one\u2019. What may not be as evident, however, are the seeds of inter-racial segregation and cultural apartheid that are planted in the very communities in which we are to collaborate, strive and progress as a multicultural people. Therefore, the statement \u2018You have good, pretty hair\u2019 becomes \u2018You are only good for making good, pretty babies\u2019. Likewise the statement \u2018 the black one \u2013 not the pretty redbone one\u2019 becomes \u2018You can blame the black one with bad, ugly hair for being raped because she is already devalued\u2019. Do you see how the roots of colorism can also flourish into a tree of sexual violence and oppression?<\/p>\n

Mindset. Social Norms. Behavior\u2026.These are the factors that ought to contribute to anti-oppression and anti-sexual violence descriptors like kindness, support, equality, justice and appreciation. Are your daily thoughts, expressions, and actions in support of these core fundamentals of freedom? Or are you neutral? For, in the words of Desmond Tutu, \u2018If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor\u2019. What \u2018side\u2019 will you choose for Sexual Assault Awareness Month and beyond? Will it be the side of oppression and sexual violence or will it be the side of equality, justice and a community free of all forms of violence? Remember, prison isn\u2019t the only place where perpetrators of abuse are found \u2013 oppression, judgments and negative verbalizations are forms of mental incarceration too. As such, take the time today, and every day, to assess the impact of your thoughts, expressions and actions on the landscape of our community and commit to making adjustments when necessary for collectively, \u2018Prevention is Possible\u2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Written and Submitted By: Khnuma Simmonds-Esannason.<\/p>\n

About the Author<\/strong>
\nKhnuma Simmonds-Esannason is the Executive Director of the VI Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Council, Owner of My Girlfriend\u2019s Closet Boutique & Mother of one. She has reviewed grants for the Department of Justice: Office on Violence against Women, presented for the 2015 National Sexual Assault Conference and was honored by the \u2018Heal A Woman To Heal A Nation\u2019 Unlimited You Campaign. She holds a B.A. in Communications from Hofstra University and a M.A. in Education Guidance & Counseling from the University of the Virgin Islands, St. Croix.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is a Sexual Assault Awareness Month editorial. Oppression is \u2018the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner\u2019; and \u2018the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions & anxiety\u2019 (1). Oppression is sibling to expressions of abuse, coercion, domination and injustice \u2013 much like the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":38398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11,4,147],"tags":[1571],"yoast_head":"\nPrevention Is Possible: Recognizing The Intersectionality Of All \u2018Isms\u2019 In The Eradication And Prevention Of Sexual Violence - V.I. 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