A town hall centering survivors of sexual violence will be held in Boyle Heights on Tuesday, following a New York Times investigation that reported allegations that César Chávez sexually abused farmworker leader Dolores Huerta and other women in the 1970s.
Dubbed “All Violence Is Public,” the forum is hosted by Justice for My Sister, a nonprofit that trains women of color, youth and survivors of gender-based violence to make films as a form of healing trauma.
Panelists include Kimberly Bautista, founder of Justice for My Sister; Felicia Montes of Mujeres de Maiz; Xochitl Palomera of WOC Sister Collective; and Valeria Espinosa of AF3IRM Los Angeles.
“When these big crisis moments happen in our community and survivors come forward, a lot of times we see the outpour of support and we also see the backlash of scrutiny and criticism,” Bautista said. “We see the reason why survivors don’t speak up.”
For Bautista, it’s crucial to address and prevent the culture of patriarchy in social justice spaces.
“We create safety within our own communities,” she said.
Safety, Bautista said, requires truth and accountability. Men need to be part of these conversations, she said.
Justice for My Sister hosted its first forum about patriarchy in social justice spaces in February 2013 at Casa 0101, Bautista said.
In 2014, the organization co-founded the Eastside Mujeres Network with Proyecto Pastoral, Mujeres de Maiz, and the East Los Angeles Women’s Center after the body of 36-year-old Lorenza Arellano, who was unhoused, was found floating in the lake at Hollenbeck Park.
Bautista said the term “All Violence is Public” was coined at a community forum that Justice for My Sister held in April 2015 in response to an attempted assault outside of Eastside Luv. Community members at that forum came up with ways to end victim blaming, she said.
Later that year, in November 2015, the Eastside Mujeres Network mobilized around the murders of Gabriela Calzada and Brianna Gallegos at Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, with a vigil and a campaign to demand a thorough investigation.
How to attend:
All Violence Is Public Forum
When: Tuesday, March 24, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: Boyle Heights City Hall (Community Room), 2130 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90033
More information on Instagram.
Need support? RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE, or text HOPE to 64673.
