Day 8 of 16 Days of Activism: Commemorating Day 1 – Article: A Screening of In the Time of the Butterflies by Audrey Meza

A Screening of In the Time of the Butterflies

By Audrey Meza

The Beta Chapter of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. in co-sponsorship with the Dominican Students Association (DSA) at the City College of New York worked together to put on a movie night event where they showed a film called “In The Time of The Butterflies”. The event was in remembrance of las Hermanas Mirabal, four sisters from the Dominican Republic who fought against the dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo and his regime. As a result, they went through many convictions with bravery and altruism and continually strove for what they believed in. After one of the sisters, Minerva Mirabal, became involved in the movement against Trujillo, her sisters followed, forming “las mariposas” (the butterflies), originally an underground name given to Minerva. This movement, known as al Movimiento 14 de Junio (The Movement of the Fourteenth of June), gained widespread recognition and posed an immediate threat to Trujillo and his fascist government. Unfortunately, Trujillo ordered for their murder, where three of the four Mirabal sisters were brutally beaten. However, this ruthless act only served as a catalyst for his downfall. In honor of the Mirabal sisters’ bravery against such unjustice acts and to raise awareness of violence against women, this event was put together as a reminder of the violence that occurs everywhere. Although no one was able to save the lives of these remarkable and persistent women, their actions showed their unwillingness to be surpressed by a dominant figure and they serve as examples for others in similar situations of un equal power dynamics.

A Message from the CCNY 16 Days of Activism Committee:

November 25th dates the day that the Mirabal Sisters were brutaly murdered for their efforts against Rafael Leonidas Trujillo and his regime. This day also marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and is the 1st Day of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence.

Do as they did. Continue the fight.

Day 7 of 16 Days of Activism: AIDS Memorial Quilt – NOT TOO LATE to view!

Right now, featured at the Great Hall of the City College of New York is a symbolic representation of love and the devastation of the AIDS epidemic – the largest collective of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Created by the NAMES Project in San Francisco (1987), the quilt serves as to honor and celebrate the lives of many who have courageously battled and passed away from AIDS. Most of its panels were sewn and designed with love by the family and friends of the deceased. The panels contain the names of lives lost along with commemorative decor; a beautiful masterpiece. In its entirety the quilt is 1,293,3000 square feet growing tremendously over the course of 20 years.

As World AIDS Day comes to an end, it is not too late to view the quilt. The AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display for an additional day from 10 am to 8 pm, tomorrow, December 2, 2011.

Come to the City College of New York, The Great Hall to experience love and  the impact of this growing epidemic.

 

Also, check out our Panel Discussion on Gender Violence from 6-8pm at Hoffman Atrium!

Tomorrow’s Panel Discussion

Tomorrow, Friday December 2, 2011 at the NAC Hoffman Atrium, we will be hosting a Panel Discussion on Gender Violence. Below is a list of our panelists:

Asantewaa G. Harris          -          Gender Violence and HIV/AIDS

Stanley Fritz          -          Gender Violence amongst Teens

Alexis Harbour          -          Domestic Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children/Human Trafficking

Nicole Caldwell          -          Gender Violence in the Prison System

We look forward to seeing you at this impactful event and spread the word!

An apology from the 16 Days of Activism Committee!

This evening, as a result of last minute technical difficulties, the committee had to regretfully cancel Day I of the Electronic Art Exhibit. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused everyone who came out. We are eager to meet you all and share with you our passion for this campaign and knowing that you are in support of our efforts fuels us even more. Tomorrow we will resume with our programming with Day II of the Exhibit. We have gathered a collection of virtual art for your viewing and we hope you will NOT ENJOY but join us in reflecting on how this content impacts us all.

Once again we apologize for the inconvenience and we hope you continue to support our efforts.

Day 4 of 16 Days of Activism – Video: Collection on Street Harassment; From Satyr to Real Life Scenarios

For many women walking the streets of New York can be quite annoying. Check out this satyr on street harassment.

But what would this look like if women harassed men this way…

How do these acts make YOU feel? What can we do?

Please also check out this ABC Primetime special: From Flirting to Harassment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB9-UPtmUOE

To Submit a Post Please Email CCNY16DaysofACTIVISM@gmail.com

Day 4 of 16 Days of Activism – Poem by Klade M. Wilson

It’s hard to see the pain behind those pretty brown eyes.

Hidden in her tiny little body.

Too scared.

Too wounded.

 Too trapped to get out into the world that can embrace that little body.

By: Klade M.Wilson

Day 3 of 16 Days of Activism – Poem: In Preparation for My Niece by Kyle Shedrick

In Preparation for My Niece
Kyle Shedrick

In a few months, my niece will be born
Into the world. While the rest of my family
Is rejoicing her arrival, all I can really do is
Mourn for her.

Being picked out of paradise, like a farmer
Picks his fruit, after it’s ripened, only to be
Devoured by those who know nothing of it’s
fertilization, nothing of it’s purpose, so will the world
Try to do to her.

They’ll tell her how she should be, how she
Should mirror the artificials that she’ll see on TV
How she should have short hair but long enough to
Deceive—it looks better that way. They’ll teach her

How to sway her hips, and gloss her lips, and cover
Her face with colored dust because that’s the only way
She’ll be pretty, the only way she’ll be accepted, the only
Way she can find love.

She can’t eat too much—can’t go past a size 2. She’ll
Have to pick her food sparingly but where she’s from, eating
Well is a part of the lifestyle so she’ll do her homework and study
Those who practice extreme workouts and diets as if they were

Religion but like religion, always falling short, always needing to repent.
Everything must fit—no room for individuality—no not here.
She’ll be strategically placed, like chess, her next four moves
Will have already been determined. She’ll play a game where the

House always win but her present will never dictate her end so she’ll have
To create her own strategy—make her own move. Realize that she was
Created in soil that was watered by the blood of the slaughtered; so she cannot loose.
She’s been predestined, in hieroglyphics, in sand script, in scripture spoken in

Swahili, in Hebrew, in Arabic, in Pharsea—the world will know her
She’ll be a natural wonder, not man-made. She’ll see the artificials but she
Wont mirror them because she’s Gods twin: eyes of fire, locked hair, brown skin.
The universe will be her play pin: the planets will rotate around her gravitational pull just so they can reverence her, the walls of her room will be painted with the stars and Galaxies of time creating Heaven on Earth
She’ll simply known as poetry rebirth
It’s supposed to be, in it’s natural form—how it should be
I wrote this in preparation for my niece.
Maybe one day she’ll hear old uncles’ piece
And recognize the greatness that was spoken
Over her before she took her first breath.
She’ll be Kings Dream
Thurgood’s justice
Garvey’s pride
Malcolm’s revolution
Height’s equality
She’ll be all that the prophets spoke of
But until then, she’ll just be a little girl
Doing what little girls like to do
Play with dolls and wear her mother’s shoes
Being excited over the smallest of things
Because for her, they’re a new discovery
Not worrying about the future
Taking each day as it comes and giving
Us a glimpse of how life should be.

More on Kyle Shedrick:

http://www.reverbnation.com/kyleshedrick

Twitter: KShed4Ever

 

To submit a blog post please email CCNY16DAYSOFACTIVISM@gmail.com

Artwork, poetry, video, essays, testimonials, etc. ALL are welcomed!

Theme Gender Violence, which includes but is not limited to domestic violence, sex abuse, verbal abuse, trangender violence, etc.

Day 2 of 16 Days of Activism – Video: Safe Horizon’s Amy Edelstein Discusses Increase in NYC Reported Rapes

It is becoming more and more clear that in order to combat Gender Violence, Women need both support and greater access to resources.

Check out this GREAT resource found on the Safe Horizon website:
After Assault
A Recovery Guide for Survivors

SAFE HORIZON
24-Hour Hotline: 212 227 3000
www.safehorizon.org

Mission

The 16 Days of Activism Committee of the City College of New York are organizing a series of events in November and December, towards raising awareness against gender violence. These events will contribute in launching a community wide campaign towards gaining a women’s center on campus. In the face of continued cases of sexual assaults all across the City of New York, we are seeking solutions that will bring safety, protection and better responses for women.

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence is an international campaign originating from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute sponsored by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991. Every year from November 25 to December 10^th, efforts are made towards increasing the support for human rights as it relates to gender specific violence. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. The 16 Days Campaign has been used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women.

Our goal at the City College of New York is to ultimately establish a Women’s Center for the campus community where anyone of any shade, ethnicity or gender can seek resources as they pertain to women’s rights and health. We will propose this center through self-defense, educational and inspirational programming throughout the 16 days. Community participation in this campaign is essential in achieving this goal and we are beyond excited to service the City College and Harlem community through our efforts. In addition to coordinating weekly planning meetings, two co-chairs have just returned from an important conference in Beverly, Massachusetts. Human Trafficking – What Can We Do About It was organized by the Association of American University Women’s Massachusetts Chapter and provided valuable information on policies and programs. We look forward to bring more awareness, discussion and solutions to address gender violence issues for our campus and the surrounding communities.

We are proud to be part of an international movement of activism that will benefit our community through gender violence education. We hope you will be able to accept our invitation to support and to join us in 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. Our email address is CCNY16DaysofActivism@gmail.com and we can be reached via phone at (212) 650-5008. We thank you for your consideration.

16 Days of Activism, The City College of New York

Tri-Chairs:

Ms. Asantewaa G. Harris

Ms. Nathalie Deller

Ms. Stephanie Petit-Homme