Violence And Women Of Colour

I just received the following comments about an important issue for America women of colour. As I said to Fallon, I'm a white Australian (not that most people who come to my blog would know - I've not mentioned my race or where I live till now), so I'm not really someone who is qualified to comment as she requested, but I do support the efforts of all women from all backgrounds to raise awareness of violence and invisibility, so I'm reposting her comments in this post, and urge others to go to Fallon's blog and support her in this.

Hello,
My name is Fallon and I’m organizing with other women of color around the Dunbar Gang Rapes and West Virginia Torture/Rape case. Well, I was wondering if you have time to participate in a phone conference on Friday, September 28, 2007 at 9pm/central about organizing to end silences surrounding Megan Williams’ torture and rape in Logan and the gang rape of several Black women in West Palm Beach Florida as well as stories that go unheard because it involves a woman of color such as the Newark imprisonment of the four lesbians for protecting themselves from a male aggressor.
Well, I’ve been circulating a 2 minute movie entitled, “How do you keep a Social Movement Alive.”
http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=E44BFBCE67BF11DC9030000423CF037A
This movie documents the silence surrounding Megan Williams’ torture and rape in Logan and the gang rape of several Black women in West Palm Beach Florida. The purpose of this movie is to document the silences within our relationships, within our homes, within our families, within our communities, within our jobs, within our schools, within our churches, temples, and synagogues, within our governments, and within our world.
We have a blog, but given the organizing we are trying to do, I need to reorganize the blog and use wordpress instead of blogger. This is the current blog,
http://documentthesilence.blogspot.com/
If you can’t do the phone conference would you interested in being apart of the Women of Color Bloggers Breaking the Silences Contingency on the Web which would mean inundating the web with information about Wearing Red Campaign on October 31, 2007 as well as circulating clips and other media trying to inundate the web with stories of violence committed against women of color.
I look forward to connecting with you,
Fallon
You can email me at beboldered@gmail.com.

here's the movie link,

http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=E44BFBCE67BF11DC9030000423CF037A

Violence against any woman is unacceptable. Sadly, the more disenfranchised by society a women is (by race, ability, class, income, sexual identity, age, etc) the more likely they are to be abused and mistreated.

This must stop.

We all have a responsibility to do what we can.

I'm usually more eloquent about this topic, but I spent an hour and a half on the phone today with my best friend. She is being seriously verbally and emotionally abused by her partner, who has also been physically violent - not to her, yet, but has broken furniture and belongings. She has started to realise that she needs to get out, but she is in a foreign country where she doesn't speak the language too well. I know she'll get out, but it's so hard watching someone you love go through this. I'm exhausted. There is so much I should mention here, the violence and abuse Aboriginal women in Australia are subjected to, the continuing silence and denial of the reality of violence against women with disabilities, the way things are so much harder for women who are marginalised on more than on count..., etc, etc. And I will talk about these things and link to those who know more about certain issues than I do, just not tonight.

Until I get back to this, please have a look at the links on the sidebar, there are many others writing about these issues. Read and absorb what they have to say. And don't stay silent on violence and abuse.