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Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee announces the introduction of H.R. 6545, the "VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2018."

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has worked with a broad cross-section of community stakeholder and advocacy groups to shepherd the introduction of H.R. 6545, the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (“VAWA”), which she introduced in the United States House of Representatives on July 26, 2018. Over 35 bipartisan advocacy groups worked with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee to introduce this bill, and she was joined by Leader Nancy Pelosi, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerry Nadler, and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer.  H.R. 6545 preserves and expands housing protections for survivors; provides economic security assistance for survivors; helps prevent “intimate partner” homicides; enhances judicial and law enforcement tools; improves services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; provides services, protection, and justice for young victims of violence; helps protect Native American women, by including provisions to improve the response to missing and murdered Native American women, improving tribal access to federal crime information databases, and reaffirming tribal criminal jurisdiction over non-Indian perpetrators of violence and assault; and protects the Office on Violence Against Women in the Department of Justice from being de-emphasized, merged, or consolidated into any other DOJ office.   It currently has the support of 115 members of Congress.  This proposal is the product of many, many months of input and when passed, will help to continue to protect women, educate communities, and enhance the tools that law enforcement can utilize to safeguard against the violence, abuse, and sexual harassment of women.  According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and a violence prevention report promulgated by the Centers for Disease Control, one in four women will be the victim of severe domestic violence; one in seven have been stalked by their partner; one in five will be raped; and almost 20% of domestic violence includes a weapon. In Texas, the numbers are no less discouraging. According to recent statistics, the number of women killed by their intimate partners was 10% greater than the national rate.  Since its initial enactment a quarter-century ago, this critical law—through policy reforms, interstate cooperation and grant allocation—has been pivotal in providing a national response to protecting half of the population. Equally important, it has ushered in a seismic transformation on how society perceives violence against women. This progress cannot be allowed to stop. 

STAND UP AND SPEAK OUT

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#1Thing, One Movement:

Working Together Towards Collective Liberation

By Casey Keene, National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV)

Division is a tool of oppression. The remedy is collaboration.

Advocates across social justice movements have long known the power of solidarity. However, often the very institutions that sustain us also perpetuate a system of divisiveness and competition among organizations whose goals and values intersect, and between movements searching for voice and visibility. It takes humility and courage to prioritize collective action over individual agendas, and to step back to make space for others, which are necessary shifts in order to achieve true social transformation.

“Transformative movements recognize that we are whole people, our communities are whole, and because the issues and problems are interconnected our systemic solutions and movements must be as well.” - The Practices of Transformative Movements, Movement Strategy Center, 2016

The VAWnet TA Question of the Month for October, How can movement building support our efforts for social change and collective thriving?, explores the Idaho Coalition’s journey to engage in multi-generational movement building work in order to actualize “beloved communities with social equity and collective liberation.” They describe this work as “building a bigger we,” which includes intentional efforts to build authentic relationships with leaders and organizations connected to and rooted in historically marginalized communities.

Similarly, NRCDV’s CEO, Farzana Safiullah, has articulated a clear and bold vision for moving our transformative work forward. Among other priorities in service to this charge, she has emphasized proactive efforts to deepen NRCDV’s commitment to racial justice, to cultivate authentic relationships with community leaders and movements, to invest in stronger connections with community-driven social change efforts, and to engage diverse voices to create healthy relationships and beloved communities.

In May 2018, the Global Fund for Women engaged researchers, advocates, and philanthropists in a conversation that identified the following broad-based movement trends (Investing in Social Movements, Global Fund for Women, 2018):

 •  “There are new forms of solidarity across issues, sectors, and geographies. We are seeing social justice organizations linking up and bridging issues, such as environmental justice with land rights or domestic worker rights with migrant worker rights—bringing together movements advancing racial, gender, social, and political justice. By seeking commonalities and overlapping goals, our collective impact is more inclusive, effective, and sustainable.”
 •  “There are interesting new forms of transnational activism both online and offline, such as #NiUnaMenos, #Neveragain, and #MeToo. These movements are led by women who have been historically left out of the conversation. They are bringing the marginalized to the center, crossing borders, and allowing online organizing of major protests that bring thousands together in person.”
•  “Intersectionality is being recognized as a critical component of social movements. Audre Lorde understood that we must acknowledge the various ways that discrimination intersect and the commonalities across our organizing when she said, ‘There is no thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single issue lives.’”

Now is the time. We must act together.

“#1Thing is about harnessing the momentum of our movements – especially at their critical points of intersection – by calling people to specific and direct collective action that are informed by the communities most directly impacted.” – Awareness + Action = Social Change: What’s Your #1Thing?, 2018

This October, the Domestic Violence Awareness Project has chosen the theme, #1Thing, One Movement, challenging each of us to identify new ways to move forward together toward our common vision.

What are some concrete ways that you can “build a bigger we” during Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Beyond?

Applications will be accepted between February 1st and March 31st

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Scholarship awards are between $250 and $1500 each

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Only complete applications will be considered for scholarships and must be submitted to ThePortiaSouthernFoundation@gmail.com Only.

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Offer or Denial notifications will be sent out at the beginning of April and awarded Scholarships will be presented at the end of April.

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If you have any questions, please contact us at ThePortiaSouthernFoundation@gmail.com

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Domestic and Sexual Violence Fact Sheet

 

Incidence, Prevalence, and Severity Domestic violence and sexual assault are pervasive, life-threatening crimes affecting millions of individuals across our nation regardless of age, gender, economic status, race, religion, or education level. ï‚« More than 1 in 3 women have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.i ï‚« Nearly 8 million women are raped, physically assaulted, and/or stalked by a current or former intimate partner each year.ii ï‚« 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men have experienced rape in her or his lifetime.iii ï‚« Nationwide, an average of 3 women are killed by a current or former intimate partner every day.iv ï‚« Survivors of color and immigrant survivors face increased barriers to accessing safety and services. A 2019 survey found that 3 out of 4 advocates reported that immigrant survivors fear accessing legal services related to their abuser.v

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