Three Truths to End Sexual Violence: TEDx Easthampton, MA, 2019

 

"What I learned in self defense was that I had been really misinformed about sexual violence: what it is, whose fault it is, who perpetrates it, and what works to prevent it. And that, by being misinformed, I had been set up to be victimized -- and to blame myself.

I was so galled by this that over the next thirty years I went on to become a self-defense teacher and a social worker serving other survivors. In this work, I’ve come to understand that most people are grossly misinformed about sexual violence. 

And I’ve come to believe that, armed with the truth, we have a fighting chance to stop sexual violence -- both individually, and as a culture."

I was honored to be selected to participate in the 2019 Easthampton, MA TEDx Women event. You can see my entire talk on the TEDx site.

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Empowerment Self Defense Alliance at NSAC 17

Exhausted, inspired, and deeply grateful after presenting Healing from Sexual Trauma: A Movement-Based, Empowerment Self-Defense Approach with my colleague Brenda Jones from the Center for Anti-Violence Education at the National Sexual Assault Conference in Dallas, TX. So honored to be among the Empowerment Self-Defense Alliance influencing the national dialogue about prevention of sexual violence. 

Keep reading for a list of resources I used in that presentation.

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The Empowerment Self-Defense Alliance

 

I am proud to be a founding member of the Empowerment Self-Defense Alliance (ESDA). ESDA aims to leverage the collective impact of empowerment self-defense practitioners and influence national dialogue about preventing interpersonal violence. The Alliance positions empowerment self-defense as a powerful means of personal and social change with a robust and growing research base demonstrating its efficacy. ESDA foregrounds survivors' agency, awareness of the neurobiological factors surrounding trauma, and a commitment to social justice as fundamental components of violence prevention. 

Members of the ESDA will be presenting at the National Sexual Assault Conference (NSAC) in Dallas, TX, in June 2017. Stay tuned to hear more about our important work. 

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