Jul 11, 20203 min read

Standing up against sexual assault & harassment

TW: sexual assault, sexual harassment, rape

SCROLL DOWN FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AND DOMESTIC ABUSE RESOURCES

So many women of all colors have suffered sexual harassment and assault at several arts institutions in our hometown of Jersey City, and their voices have so often been silenced. We are reaching out to these survivors and offer support, resources and opportunities to find healing. We hear you, we stand with you, we fight for you. Protecting women should always be a priority. We will hold your abusers accountable and advocate for broken systems to be discarded, and for supportive communities to be built in their place.

Most recently, women in the local slam poetry scene have spoken out against a poet who allegedly preyed on young women, including minors. As these survivors share their experiences with the community, it's become incredibly clear that women artists in our community are unsupported, unheard and unprotected.

Several women who have been part of In Full Color have experienced sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic abuse and other misogynist acts of violence -- many times at the hands of other artists. Sexual violence has also greatly impacted our kinfolx of other genders, who also often suffer in silence. For many of us, art has been one important medium for healing and finding community with other survivors.

Here are just some of the monologues from In Full Color that have addressed these issues. We hope that these powerful pieces can help survivors to find catharsis and those who are not familiar with these struggles to understand and empathize with these women.

#NOTYOUTOO!

by Cinthya Hernández, performed by Cindy AnaCaona Peralta

When her younger sister Rosita decides to join the military, memories of violence, harassment and heartbreak come flooding back for this veteran. How can she stop her sister from making the same mistakes?

Acting Tammy J

written and performed by Paula Ralph-Birkett

An exceptional Black woman advancing in the corporate world meets her worst nightmare -- a new director who seeks to control her, fueled by racist hate and a desire to own her. Only one of them can survive, who will it be?

How to Leave a Man and Country

by Dena Igusti; performed by Alicia Rivas, Summer Dawn Reyes and Nancy Méndez-Booth

This powerful poem is equal parts nourishment and anthem for any woman looking to leave an abusive relationship, or the oppression of an unjust country.

I Am Just a Fetish

by Yasmine "Yaz" Tadross, performed by Angela Raine

When you're brown and trans, you can't help but wonder every time you go on a date--am I just this person's fetish? Do they see me for who I really am?