Statement: On Police Violence and the Intersections of Racism and Sexual Violence

All of us at BARCC join the millions of people throughout the country who are outraged, scared, and deeply saddened by the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and so many more. The ongoing magnitude of racism—both overt and covert, individual and systemic—in the United States is overwhelming and unacceptable. This racism is a direct result of a history of slavery, segregation, and voter suppression, and reflects a devaluation of Black lives. At this moment in history, we all must commit, recommit, and continue to take action to build and create racial equity in our schools, workplaces, systems of government, and with each other. 

Why are we, as a rape crisis center, speaking out on this? Because we recognize that violence in all of its forms, including sexual violence, is rooted in oppression. Sexual assault, harassment, and abuse thrive when people exploit power over others. People who perpetrate racist actions/violence and people who perpetrate sexual violence do so to dehumanize people and exert power and control over them. And we know that Black people and other people of color in our communities face higher risks of sexual assault, harassment, and abuse. 

That’s why we all must work together toward a common goal: prevent violence from being done in the first place. At BARCC, we envision a world free of all forms of oppression. That means a world free of racism, white supremacy, and police brutality. A world where everyone is free to go about their daily lives knowing that their bodies, identities, minds, and spirits will always be valued and respected.

All Black people—survivors we serve, in our Greater Boston communities, and in the nation—deserve this and have long been denied it. 

To get to that world we envision requires deep work and sustained action, by each and every one of us. At BARCC, we have been engaged and committed to this work in the following ways: 

• Working with outside consultants to train all staff to have a common framework for understanding racism at all levels.
• Developing executive team level skills for applying an inclusive equity lens to decision making and supporting this approach throughout the organization.
• Engaging in discussions about race at all levels of the organization and incorporating what we learn into improving our services and practices.
• Bearing witness to and speaking out about survivors' experiences of sexual violence and the intersections with systemic inequities based on race and ethnicity.
• Advocating for accountability and change in the public and private systems that sustain sexual violence and its intersections with systemic inequities based on race and ethnicity.

Social change does not happen overnight. It is a life’s work. And there are many ways to do this work: exercising our First Amendment right to speech—as tens of thousands of people did over the weekend and throughout this week—legislative and policy advocacy, education, and more. 

Connecting with people close to you and having vital conversations to move us all forward matter and make a difference. Below are more specific ideas for how we all can take action to support Black lives: 

• Talk with your friends, families, and colleagues about racial justice and equity. 
• Talk with your children about race and racism.  
• Support Black-owned businesses and Black-led organizations.
• Urge your lawmakers to make systemic changes to address institutional racism and end racist violence and police brutality.
• If you are white, listen to Black people and Black-led organizations and amplify their voices.
• If you are white, educate yourself and then help educate people in your circles. Do not ask Black people to educate you.  

Additional resources⠀

• Black Lives Matter Boston
• Showing Up for Racial Justice Boston
• Mass Action Against Police Brutality
• ACLU Massachusetts
• EmbraceRace
• Race Forward
• “Sexual Violence and Oppression: Framing Our Work Using the Sexual Violence Continuum,” Mo Lewis, National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC)
• “Understanding Racism and its Connection to Sexual and Domestic Violence,” PreventConnect
• 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
• Scaffolded Anti-Racist Resources 

Please share additional resources in the comments.