10 Things to Know This Week
1. Girls CREATE Now: GIRLS create! on mamablack is a space for girls to express themselves, across their transnational identities and across a variety of means. Girls from age 12-24 are invited to do justice as they see it, with art, music, poetry, written pieces, video, images, rants, questions, via this online space mirroring the physical space created by Black Women's Blueprint and our partners everywhere. CREATE IT AND WE WILL MAKE SURE WE SHARE IT. Girls and youth will be compensated for their submissions.
2. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month: This week at Black Women’s Blueprint, we sponsored the Ray of Hope Walk Healing Circle where women and girls gathered to discuss what healing looks like for them. A Community healer from Harriet’s Apothecary was present to share various healing modalities such as Goddess Oracle Readings, Reiki, Chakra Alignment, and Crystal readings along with body work. This celebration of survivors, self-care, and healing carries us in the struggle to end sexual and domestic violence in our communities.
3.What are we watching?: Ava DuVernary's netflix Documentary '13th' tackles the issue of mass incarceration and connects the criminal justice system back to slavery. We loved the film but noticed one huge problem: the documentary completely erases Black Women from the narratives about mass incarceration in America. How is the 13th amendment impacting the lives of Black women and girls? What Black women filmmakers are you currently watching who are centering the narratives of Black women and girls?
4. Reminder: Friday October 14th is your last chance to register to vote and you can do it online here! #BlackWomenVote
5. Join the National Letter Writing Campaign: for Bresha Meadows, standing up for Black girls in defense of themselves.
6. Reproductive Justice: Black women, abortion, and survivors--- let's make the connection. Share your abortion stories with us and submit them to mama black.
7. Step Forward Curriculum: check out how Black Girls are combatting sexual violence in their own high schools through peer education!
8. Black Feminist Book of the Week: This new book, The Mothers, by Black woman writer Brit Bennett, is an absorbing and powerful novel about motherhood, female friendship and finding love with a broken heart. Bennett explores what it means to be a mother, want a mother and have a mother reflecting Black women's experiences of violence, healing and resilience.
9. On the Hill: This White House Fact Sheet indicates Black women and girls still experience hardship and the threat of violence at undeniably high rates. What are we doing to stand up for the rights of Black women and girls?
10. This Just In: This recently published article delves into the issue of Girls and Sexual Assault.