ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY,
SINGER/SONGWRITER RYAN AMADOR AND ONE BILLION RISING
RELEASE “LIKE A WOMAN” TO CALL MEN INTO THE MOVEMENT
See the video at like-a-woman.org
In celebration of International Women’s Day, One Billion Rising, the biggest mass action to end violence against all women and girls (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender based violence), releases the new single and music video for “Like A Woman,” by singer/songwriter Ryan Amador. The song calls men to recognize and celebrate women’s leadership, and to join the movement to end gender-based violence.
The release of “Like a Woman” is part of V-Day’s 20th anniversary (V20) initiative to create new disruptive art pieces that inspire people to act. As activists across the globe are RISING, “Like a Woman” places the issue of ending violence against all women and girls front and center and calls upon men to RISE.
“When I heard this song I was so moved to hear a man openly with pride and joy publicly declare his desire to be more like a woman. It felt like a game changer.” – Eve Ensler
“Two years ago, inspired by my involvement with V-Day and amidst the horror of our political shift, I wrote ‘Like a Woman’ to proclaim, from a man’s voice, my devotion to womankind. The song is a call to men to actively celebrate women and stand up against those who restrict women’s rights and/or perpetuate patriarchal abuse around the world. I am so happy to partner with One Billion Rising to bring this message far and wide.” – Ryan Amador, singer/songwriter of “Like a Woman.”
Produced by Hanan Rubinstein (Alicia Keys, Rita Ora, Nick Jonas) with a music video directed by Sekou Luke (“The Time is Now…featuring Chantal Georges and Thandie Newton”), “Like A Woman” will now be part of the One Billion Rising activist-led events that take place across the globe.
SPANISH LANGUAGE VERSION OUT 11 MARCH
RECORDED BY KIKE JIMÉNEZ (OF THE VOICE MEXICO), AND SEAN O’CONNELL
Furthering the song’s reach, Kike Jiménez (finalist on The Voice Mexico) and Sean O’Connell have recorded a version of the song in Spanish, which will be released in Mexico and globally on 11 March. The Spanish version is produced by One Billion Rising Mexico global coordinator Andres Naime. It will be performed live following a performance of “The Vagina Monologues” in Mexico City that night.
“We need this type of movement in 2019. Many of us young people believe there’s no such thing as misogyny or gender-based violence anymore, when really it’s as strong as ever. Every day there are new cases of missing women, many sold, murdered, or victims of violence at home. It is so important that we create consciousness and awareness that these are real and actual problems that cannot be ignored. It’s an honor to be a voice for this amazing cause.” – Kike Jiménez, singer of “Mujer Valiente,” the Spanish version of “Like A Woman.”
JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
Listen, Watch & Share We Call in Men to Film & Upload Your Own “Like a Woman” Tribute Photo or Video with the hashtag #LikeAWoman. These video and photographic tributes will reflect men’s appreciation for the women in their lives while also considering what it means to live as a man in our world where one in three women are directly affected by sexual violence. Share the video widely. VISIT like-a-woman.org
The Rage, Rejoice and RISE lineup of speakers and performers continues to expand & inspire – we are honored to announce that Rhanda Dormeus, mother of Korryn Gaines and #SayHerName activist, will join us as well as Batalá NY whose drumming is sure to get us dancing in the aisles.
Presented by V-Day, Middle Collegiate Church & One Billion Rising, Tuesday evening’s event will be both a calling up and a love note to extraordinary women who are Rising in unprecedented ways across New York City, the country, and the world. These may come in the form of a poem, a sermon, a speech, a rant or a prayer.
RISING for immigrant, disabled, Palestinian, LGBTQIA, & Indigenous rights; for those who face caste discrimination; for climate justice; a just and ethical church; the incarcerated; economic justice; a Green New Deal & for the freedom of all women and girls (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender-based violence).
See “Dismantle” Performed LIVE
The Archduke will have their debut live performance of the new single, “Dismantle” at Rage, Rejoice & RISE. The song is a fusion of soulful afrobeats and a classic New Orleans bounce, with lyrics that exemplify and raise awareness of the work needed to end sexism.
V-Day and OBR Activists: During our V20 year, we issued a call for new art, particularly art that engages men in ending violence against women. This new hip hop single is the perfect addition to play during upcoming benefits events and risings, as well as to share with your cast and audiences via social media to call in men to DISMANTLE patriarchy.
Watch the “Dismantle” music video here & join us Tuesday night in NYC to hear it LIVE.
Featuring Dara Baldwin, Pamela Benitez, Rhanda Dormeus, Naomi Klein, Dana Levinson, Rev. Jacqueline J. Lewis, PhD, Nancy Mansour, Roslyn Smith, Thenmozhi Soundararajan and Evan Rachel Wood* plus musical performances by Ryan Amador, Batalá NY, BETTY, Climbing PoeTree, KASH, The Archduke, The Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir.
Thousands of Risings calling for an end to violence against all women and girls, led by grassroots activists in every country, are happening around the globe – and will continue through International Women’s Day, 8 March.
Rising in the streets putting their bodies and lives on the line. RISING to end sexual violence in all its forms – rape, battery, incest, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, sexual slavery and trafficking, child marriage, femicide, sexual-gender and reproductive oppression and violence towards LGBTQIA+ communities – and RISING to end the systemic violence, oppression and exploitation of all women and girls (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender based violence) in the context of capitalism, colonization, racism, imperialism, environmental plunder and war.
This year activists were braver, went deeper, studied, listened, asked difficult questions, engaged, took action & pushed themselves out of their comfort zones physically and intellectually.
Because Rising is no longer a campaign it is a way of life.
The evening will be both a calling up and a love note to extraordinary women who are rising in unprecedented ways across New York City, the country, and the world. These may come in the form of a poem, a sermon, a speech, a rant or a prayer. RISING for immigrant, disabled, Palestinian, LGBTQIA, & Indigenous rights; for those who face caste discrimination; for climate justice; a just and ethical church; the incarcerated; economic justice; a Green New Deal & for the freedom of all women and girls (cisgender, transgender, and those who hold fluid identities that are subject to gender-based violence). Featuring Dara Baldwin, Pamela Benitez, Rhanda Dormeus, Naomi Klein, Dana Levinson, Rev. Jacqueline J. Lewis, PhD, Nancy Mansour, Roslyn Smith, Thenmozhi Soundararajan and Evan Rachel Wood* plus musical performances by Ryan Amador, Batalá New York, BETTY, Climbing PoeTree, KASH, The Archduke, The Middle Church Jerriese Johnson Gospel Choir. Hosted by Eve Ensler.
Rage Rejoice & RISE: An Evening of Celebration, Inspiration & Solidarity
Tuesday, 26 February 2019
Doors 6:30p
Program 7:00p
Middle Collegiate Church, 112 2nd Ave, NYC
NEW HIP HOP SINGLE CALLS ON MEN TO “DISMANTLE” PATRIARCHY
AS THE WORLD RISES, “DISMANTLE”
BY DUO CHARITY CROFF AND JACOB DENZEL OF ARCHDUKE
(FEATURING TAYLOR IMAN AND JENEE JONES)
LAUNCHES TODAY IN CONJUNCTION WITH
ONE BILLION RISING GLOBAL MASS ACTIONS,
AND THE CELEBRATION OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES AND V-DAY.
“I broke free thanks to Queens I know / They taught me not to fill no role… I ain’t gotta act hard now / I’m real big, real big like my heart now.” These are some of the provocative lyrics from hip hop duo Charity Croff and Jacob Denzel of ArchDuke’s new song “Dismantle,” premiering today in celebration of The Vagina Monologues‘ and V-Day’s 20th Anniversary and as part of One Billion Rising, the biggest mass action to end violence against all women and girls.
1 in 3 women across the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. That’s ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. Every February, we rise – in countries across the world –to show our local communities and the world what one billion looks like and shine a light on the rampant impunity and injustice that survivors most often face. We rise through dance to express joy and community and celebrate the fact that we have not been defeated by this violence. We rise to show we are determined to create a new kind of consciousness – one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable. One Billion Rising is envisioned collectively by global coordinators around the world. Activists in over 200 countries are RISING to put the issue of ending violence against all women and girls front and center, to amplify the voices the most marginalized, and to call men to RISE.
“Honestly, patriarchy is a man’s issue,” said Charity Croff. “Generally, society tends to view feminism as this avenue through which women can liberate themselves. However, any liberation must involve the direct accountability and action from the oppressive group. In this case…men. ‘Dismantle’ is a song about men ripping that hypermasculine mask off and thereby exposing the loving, joyous, empathetic human being that lies beneath. It is my deepest hope that the liberation of women will be a natural byproduct of that process.”
“Dismantle” features a fusion of soulful afrobeats and classic New Orleans bounce, with lyrics that exemplify and raise awareness of the work needed to end sexism. In the video, ArchDuke performs in a mirrored room, brimming with movement and reflecting the energy of these men as they answer and issue a call to action. The song ends with a dance break, featuring a diverse group of women, coming together to rejoice in the music and the message.
The song will be featured in international artistic uprisings, challenging the systems that cause violence, including imperialism, fascism, racism, capitalism, and neo-liberalism.
ArchDuke and One Billion Rising invite everyone committed to ending gender-based violence to take part in the “Dismantle” Dance Challenge by moving in whatever way makes them feel alive, ecstatic, and powerful in their bodies. Activists and allies worldwide will video themselves dancing to the song in solidarity with the one in three women on the planet who will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. Share your video using the hashtags #DismantlePatriarchy and #1BillionRising.
“Art has the power to reach, transform and inspire people to act. That fact is at the heart of V-Day and One Billion Rising and has been since our founding. During our V20 year, we issued a call for new art, particularly art that engages men in ending violence against women,” said Susan Celia Swan, Executive Director of V-Day/OBR. “Charity and Jacob are passionate about doing the work of calling in men as men. Abuse doesn’t just happen, someone perpetrates it and the majority of the time, that someone is a man. ‘Dismantle’ is a powerful artistic tool for our community of activists, and it calls men into the work of ending violence against all women.”
As you know, this year, in place of a traditional V-Day Spotlight monologue, we have invited you to amplify and lift up the often unheard and excluded voices of survivors, activists and groups in your communities by creating three community-written testimonies, to be performed at the end of the play. These monologues should center the voices of the most marginalized women on your stage, harnessing the power of The Vagina Monologues to create a space for critical conversations and voices.
We are thrilled that many of you have already taken up this call, planning the first of these new monologues to showcase a formerly incarcerated or detained woman in your community, inviting them to speak to the audience about their experiences and how they connect to the issue of violence against women and girls. This monologue will be help to infuse V-Day’s 2019 global Spotlight campaign on Women in Prisons and Jails, Detention Centers, and Formerly Incarcerated Women with depth.
You have also been invited to choose two additional local leaders or activists who are doing the crucial, daily work of ending violence in your community to present a “What and Why My Vagina is Rising” monologue. Invite them to share with the audience what they are working to change and how the local community can support them. We suggest each performer is given 2 minutes each on stage, and that you work out staging and lighting for this portion, so that it is integrated as part of the whole experience for the audience.
Our vision is that activists will use this platform to shed light on the connection between gender-based violence and political instability, armed conflict, xenophobia, unsafe working conditions, transphobia, homophobia, and racism. Rising Testimonies can cover a range of topics—gender and sexuality, identity, the changing socio-political climate, any issue specific to the community at hand.
With this in mind, if you/your cast is willing to share, we would love to receive the written version and/or video of these testimonies, and any photos you may have. Photos and videos should be the highest quality possible. If recording videos on a smartphone, please record them in horizontal / widescreen format.
Please send them to us at: spotlight@vday.org. With multiple and larger files, you can easily send them using free services like WeTransfer. You can also use Google Drive and Dropbox by “sharing” the files with us or sending us the shareable link to download.
We thank you for your dedication to this work and are with you every step of the way.
Photo Credit: One Billion Rising in Tilburg Netherlands, led by students from the Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts
Please heavily document your event. We’re especially interested in Photos and Videos
For the past six years, on or around 14 February, Risings took place around the world, in hundreds of cities, in virtually every country on earth. We have made history.
In 2019, we are RISING: FROM A CAMPAIGN, TO A WAY OF LIFE. Together. we RISE in Solidarity and we want the world to witness every sight and sound of this extraordinary global action. HERE’S HOW!
Document and share everything you do for One Billion Rising. Share your photos, video and audio updates with the global audience!
For your RISING event(s), please share your photos, video and audio updates with the global audience so they can experience it as it happens – or as close to it! Before and during the events, utilize social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat.
Tell the story of what’s happening using these channels. Be sure to tag us and use the official hashtags #1BillionRising#RiseInSolidarity and #RiseResistUnite to include your posts on our digital hub at onebillionrising.org and across our social channels for the world to see. The more we share, we spread the word and trend on social media platforms around the world, reaching even more people.
NOTE: If you want to share your posts with the global audience, please be sure to make your Facebook and Instagram posts public.
Don’t forget to go to the Toolkit for profile and background images!
Berlin, Germany. Photo Credit: Nina Kramer
Filming
Please film your event using the highest resolution files available. Make sure you’re also keeping full-resolution versions of what you share – we’ll want to gather it after your event HERE.
Note – you will need to post a Public Filming Notice at your venue, and if you interview people about the rising, it would be wonderful if you can have them sign release forms so that we can use the footage for V-Day’s uses on our website, or film, etc.
Create a Snapchat geo-filter for your event:
Although Snapchat doesn’t offer global geo-filters, you can create custom on-demand local geo-filters for your events as low as $5/day at https://create.snapchat.com/
You can create your custom design after logging in, and get a price quote depending on your time range and location area. The current maximum area is 5,000,000 sq ft (less than 1km x 1km)
In the last few years, streaming technology and the general public’s comfort with it has come a long way, making them much more accessible. Using the apps and platforms below you can now stream your event directly from your phone, tablet or computer. Capture the flashmob, an art piece, activists sharing why they RISE or the whole event live from your phone.
So if you want to broadcast the revolution in real time, here are some options:
FACEBOOK LIVE & INSTAGRAM LIVE
These free and easy options have been used to broadcast intimate interviews to huge mobilizations. You can play the video directly into your community Facebook page or Twitter account feeds, all you need is a dedicated person with a fully charged phone or tablet (and backup batteries). Additionally, a phone/tablet tripod or stick can be extremely useful to maintain a stable shot, especially for outdoor or long events.
IMPORTANT: Before broadcasting, make sure to change your Audience to “Public” so people outside of your network can view and share it.
How to Facebook Live from a mobile phone or tablet:
We’ve just received the sad news that Duncan Bomba Omwani Papa Omundu Umundu passed away on 25 January. All of us at V-Day, One Billion Rising, and City of Joy mourn the loss of our dear friend Duncan, a true V-Man.
Devoted to empowering and protecting African women, Duncan, together with his partner Winnie Anyango, founded Dolphin Anti-Rape & AIDS Control Outreach to teach countless children how to identify, avoid and prevent sexual assault through self-defense skills. Duncan and Winnie’s work also addresses HIV/AIDS prevention in Kenya through a culturally sensitive curriculum.
Since 1998, under their leadership, Dolphin has reached hundreds of thousands of young people with their powerful message of empowerment and self-defense techniques based on East Asian martial arts practices, which emphasize using knowledge as a first line of self-defense and then employing physical techniques as the next. By integrating drama, song and dance into the classes, they brought alive everyday situations, providing an avenue for young people to imagine how they might use self-defense techniques to protect themselves in their own lives. By training teachers in Kenya to deliver this kind of training, they reached thousands more students.
Duncan and Winnie travelled with V-Day often and are loved, known and respected by so many in the V-Day family of activists. They celebrated our 10th anniversary – V TO THE TENTH – in New Orleans, were part of a delegation to our AFRICA RISING Summit in Nairobi in 2012, and they journeyed to the Democratic Republic of Congo to train staff and women at the City of Joy in self-defense techniques (as documented in the Netflix original documentary CITY OF JOY).
Duncan was kind and funny. He always had a joke to tell. He was both fierce and gentle. He was proud to declare how important ending violence against all women and girls was to him. He was a loving and devoted partner to Winnie. And he dedicated his life to creating a world where girls and women could walk freely and safely.
Duncan’s work lives on in every graduate of City of Joy who transitions back into her community, empowered with the skills to defend herself, and in every Kenyan student who walks home from school with more ease.
We will always remember Duncan with love, and pledge to keep his work and memory alive.
With love,
Eve, Susan, Purva, Christine, Monique, Tony, Carl, Kristina, Leila, Anju & everyone at V-Day, One Billion Rising & City of Joy
Spotlight Blog Series on Women in Prison & Detention
V-Day’s Spotlight on Women in Prison, Detention Centers, and Formerly Incarcerated Women has been created in collaboration with Kathy Boudin and Cheryl Wilkins and formerly incarcerated women and activists working on prison reform and prison abolition. In this blog series you will hear from women whose lives have been profoundly impacted by the prison and detention system on issues as far ranging as: trauma and abuse; shackling; transgender experiences; dignity; health and mental health; experiences of long term inmates; the youth/school to prison pipeline; the experiences of mothers and children navigating the immigration system; higher education in prison; and reentry and technology.
Why College Education is So Important for Women in Prison
“We understand the public’s anger about crime and realize that prison is first and foremost a punishment for crime. But we believe that when we are able to work and earn a higher education degree while in prison, we are empowered to truly pay out debts to society by working toward repairing some of what has been broken… It is for all these reasons, and in the name of hope and redemption, that we ask you to help us rebuild a college program here at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.”[i]
Going to college is a dream that most Americans strive for. Higher education is valued as a benchmark of success in our society. Yet, many women who enter the prison system were not on a path that would secure them a place in the “American dream.” I was one of them.
Women are the fastest growing population of the prison system. This dramatic growth is tied to the social structure of race and class and gender, and the related problems such as absence of a decent education in poor communities, absence of jobs, violence against women, criminalization of women’s survival options in a context of poverty- all of these and more are factors that contribute to the growing numbers of women in prison. People of color are also disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system. [ii]
Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, most of the black actors I saw were portrayed as pimps, drug dealers, prostitutes, unwed welfare moms with a household full of kids, and uneducated, and the list goes on. Our desires for a better way of life for ourselves and our children are parallel to all who have children and were never incarcerated; we have the same wants as everyone else but we just didn’t realize our potential. Society bombarded us with so many negative stereotypes about who we were: poor, lazy, criminals, good for nothing and dumb.
While in prison, the existence of a college program helped us to hear a different narrative about ourselves; we were intelligent, worthy, capable and we could achieve anything if we applied ourselves with a bit of guidance and structure; we were women of substance and we started to hold onto these truths, and bit by bit, these truths became who we were.
Going to college was not easy, and during the first year of college I didn’t take it seriously; I thought to myself. Why even attend college? By the time I get out I’ll be too old; no one is going to hire a 70 year old “ex-offender.” But soon, I realized that college was opening new doors for me, into worlds that I never knew. I became hungry for the knowledge and eager to learn. I studied late into the nights and took advantage of every tutor that the college program had. I enrolled in five classes a week while doing my mandated prison programs. I was on fire for the knowledge I was gaining. I felt that this was the key that opened the locks that were created for me by a society that didn’t want to see me prosper or grow. The chains were broken to my mind. I was smart and I was getting an education. I understood history, sciences and the structures that shaped our society, and I felt proud to be able to engage in conversations about politics, history and our world.
The Closing Down of Colleges in Prisons
I was lucky I graduated from college in prison before 1994, because after that year college was not an option. In 1994, the government removed Pell funding from prisons by issuing the “tough on crime” Law Enforcement Act of 1994. The vast majority of colleges that were offering courses in prison stopped providing the chance to enroll. Due to the federal ban on receiving Pell grants while incarcerated, most of those serving time since then have not been able to take college courses while in prison. This was the beginning of a period that saw people in prison as simply bad individuals who didn’t deserve any help or support in changing their lives. In fact, even though it is known that education is a key to a person’s growth and capacity, our society invested in prisons instead of education.[iii] Between 1980 and 2013 there was increase in expenditures in k-12 education by only 107% compared to an increase in state and local “corrections” (prisons and jails) by 324%. [iv]
When people in prison lost their ability to go to college, throughout the country demoralization set in among incarcerated people. College had been a door through which people could walk and build new lives. At the maximum-security women’s prison in New York State, women mobilized to bring higher education back. Through a collaboration with the prison administration, the academic community outside the prison and the nearby community, they created a new model of a privately funded college program in prison, and by 1997 a new college program was up and running. Slowly, as research was being done, combined with advocacy about the importance of higher education in prisons – often led by formerly incarcerated people, more and more states began to get higher education back in prisons with different models.
The Obama administration took a step toward trying to restore Pell grants for those in prison with the Second Chance Pell pilot. The program has given over 12,000 incarcerated individuals across the nation the chance to use Pell grants toward college courses in prison.[v] In New York State, 22 colleges and universities – including Columbia, Bard, Cornell and Vassar – send professors behind prison walls every week. And New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (Governor) teamed up with Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance to divert $7.5 million in criminal forfeiture money to add at least 800 more students. “This is a public safety issue. I know that data supports my decisions and therefore, I think the citizens of the state should understand that this makes sense in terms of community safety,” Vance said. In California, in 2014, San Quentin was the only prison with college classes. By 2017 34 out of 35 state prisons had college programs. 4,500 people incarcerated have enrolled in college classes.[vi]
Higher Education and Recidivism
Two-thirds of women who go home will be rearrested within 5 years. Why in the world would people who have served their time risk returning to prison? There is a very simple answer. Most people in prison are released with no marketable job skills and educational levels that are so low they can only qualify for poverty level earnings. When released from prison, women are faced with the very real need to earn money, most have children to support, some require daycare and face the everyday challenges of looking for a job, having carfare, clothing, toiletries and food. The harsh reality is that there are very few jobs that are available to women returning from prison that will provide the ability to rebuild a life for themselves and their children. The most effective way to keep people out of prison once they leave is to provide the necessary jobs skills that will increase their marketability towards employers.
There is a correlation between recidivism rates of women who attend college classes while incarcerated as opposed to those who don’t. All education makes a difference:
Vocational training cut recidivism to approximately 30 percent. But an associate degree drops the rate to 13.7 percent. A bachelor’s degree reduces it to 5.6 percent. A master’s brings recidivism to 0 percent.[vii]
The Intergenerational Impact of Higher Education in Prison
Often times, pursuing a college degree starts with our parents instilling this idea that being prepared for the job markets of today and tomorrow requires getting a college degree and is tantamount to securing a better future. I don’t know of many parents who would not want a better future for their child, however, when life has thrown you a series of curve balls, thinking about a better future for your child seems unattainable
75% percent of the women who were incarcerated at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility – where I was in prison – were mothers to school age children. As their level of education increased, so did their level of interest in their child’s education. The conversations in the visiting room as well as the telephone calls changed; the mother’s used this as an opportunity to become more involved in their homework, study habits, and college aspirations. On the other hand, the child became less ashamed of having an incarcerated mom, and instead, proud that their mom was using education as a vehicle to make their lives better. Dreams were made and the stigma of having an incarcerated mom was reduced. One child we know even compared her dad to Malcolm X.
We need to advocate for educational reform in prison. Education at every level makes a difference for people when they come home- from adult basic education, to high school degrees to vocational training. And there is still a need to bring opportunities for women in prison to a point that is equal to that for incarcerated men. But higher education, getting a college degree, makes a dramatic difference in the ability of women to rebuild their lives. The statistics are clear. The life stories from women are clear. Every prison system, from county to federal, should be involved in higher education. Politicians constantly talk about crime rates and getting tough on crime, yet isn’t it time that the paradigm changed? Let us start by getting involved with people who are incarcerated and give them the necessary tools to ensure a safer society for all of us. Not only will incarcerated individuals benefit, but so will their children:
I am a child of a mother who was formerly incarcerated. If my mother had been provided an opportunity to expand in knowledge and an academic career, even though in society she was labeled a “criminal”, I would have learned more than survival skills. She could have been an example of hard work and perseverance no matter her mistakes. Educating our women is important to our youth because mothers are a child’s main source of information. I believe we should be more persistent with education for all economic backgrounds, past law involvement, and women in general. Simply because of the significant role that women play in raising children and how that positive impact could raise the greatness of our nation. (nym)
By R.S.
[i] The Inmate Committee (199). Changing Minds The Impact of College in a Maximum-Security Prison. Collaborative Research by the Graduate Center of the City University of New York & Women in Prison at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility (September 2001). https://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/changing_minds.pdf
President Trump’s shutdown of the US government is not just a political stunt. It is having serious impact on many lives. Not only are 800,000 workers going without pay, but the lives of many are now at risk. Shelters around the country rely on federal grants to carry out their work; yet many of these opportunities remain frozen at this time.
For over 20 years, V-Day Activists have produced V-Day benefit productions of The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works to raise funds for local rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters so that the most vulnerable women and their families can be served.
We are ever thankful for your support of the survivors in your community, for your creativity, determination and tireless work to end harassment, rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation and sex slavery.
In the face of this systemic neglect and violence, this work is urgent and necessary. US Activists – here are ways that you can help –
Support survivors in your community! Produce a benefit in YOUR community or your college campus to raise money for a local shelter or crisis center. Visit vday.org/2019 for info or email our team at campaign@vday.org.
If you are already planning a V-Day benefit, we would love to hear from your beneficiary about if / how the shutdown is impacting them. Please send us a video or a note at campaign@vday.org. We plan to share these stories through our social media platforms, so please make sure that the copy is approved for public sharing.
When women take to the streets and the stage incredible things happen, as their issues are voiced and confronted for all to see and hear.
The release of “Like a Woman” is part of V-Day’s 20th anniversary (V20) initiative to create new disruptive art pieces that inspire people to act. As activists across the globe are RISING, “Like a Woman” places the issue of ending violence against all women and girls front and center and calls upon men to RISE.
Furthering the song’s reach, Kike Jiménez (finalist on The Voice Mexico) and Sean O’Connell have recorded a version of the song in Spanish, which will be released in Mexico and globally on 11 March. The Spanish version is produced by One Billion Rising Mexico global coordinator Andres Naime. It will be performed live following a performance of “The Vagina Monologues” in Mexico City that night.
Duncan and Winnie travelled with V-Day often and are loved, known and respected by so many in the V-Day family of activists. They celebrated our 10th anniversary – V TO THE TENTH – in New Orleans, were part of a delegation to our AFRICA RISING Summit in Nairobi in 2012, and they journeyed to the Democratic Republic of Congo to train staff and women at the 
