Spring into Solidarity

Happy spring! Spring can be a conflicted time for those of us working to end interpersonal and power-based violence. Spring surrounds us with nature’s rebirth, sunlight stretching ever longer into the evening. At the same time, we are sounding the call to our communities to recognize and learn about some of the ugliest parts of our society. 

April is both Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and Child Abuse Prevention Month. I know that throughout April, each of you will, as I will, wear teal and denim and spend a lot of time talking about the realities of sexual assault to people who are not used to having these conversations. You will answer questions that feel offensive. You will teach that consent and bodily autonomy are about far more that sex. You will burst bubbles when you explain that nobody is immune. You will also hear the stories that are the narratives of this field. You will sit with the victim-survivor who never told anyone about what happened fifteen years ago. You will also answer the hotline and validate the victim-survivor who keeps repeating their story over and over as if the repeating of it will somehow make it make sense and bring them to a space that allows them to move forward. You will have the circulation of your hand briefly cut off by the victim-survivors who need to hold on that tightly to get through a sexual assault exam. April will be the work you always do but it will be heightened by the public gaze.

And then, when April comes to a close, it will be May. In May we recognize the deep colonial terror that continues to devastate our Indigenous communities. In May we lift up the call to recognize the vast number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and all People who are no longer with us. And you will wear red and again be answering questions that feel offensive. You will be teaching that the murder rate for Indigenous women living on reservations is ten times the national average and the third highest cause of death for Native women. You will be with family members who have questions that may never be answered. You will be with family members who receive answers that end the slivers of hope they were clinging to. May will be the work you always do in darkness but it will include an extra weight as you repeat the names so that they are not forgotten.



Spring is a conflicted time for those of us in this movement. So, I ask you, as I ask annually at this time, are you feeling empowered or triggered? Are you feeling uplifted or exhausted? Are you energized for these months or wishing they were already over? Most likely you are both. I recently came across a poem by Kay Kraybill, a case manager for the unhoused, that gives voice to this conflict. Each stanza describes the incredible dichotomies advocates experience daily. Kraybill finishes by saying that “this work, leaves me wounded, and heals me.” As you read this newsletter I hope that you will feel a sense of connection knowing that you are not alone in this work and that that connection will help amplify your reserve of empowerment, uplift, energy and healing. 

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Child Abuse Awareness Month

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women/People Awareness Month

The 3rd Annual MMIW/P Awareness Conference will be held Saturday, May 4th through Tuesday, May 7^th by Newe Waipaipian at the Elko Convention Center in Elko, NV. Every year, this conference is held to address the failed systemic response to missing and murdered Indigenous people and discuss the multiple layers of intersectionality with all forms of power-based violence including sex trafficking, domestic violence, suicidality, mental health care, and self-defense.

Keynote speakers include Haley Omeasoo, Joel Omeasoo, Tonia Jo Hall, and Earl Lambert.

Click the preview below for the full flyer:

Save the Date!

Upcoming Annual Conference: Collective Courage

Everyone has their strengths, both as advocates and as individuals, but how often do we have the conversation about how to use them effectively to make a difference? 

Advocacy work involves performing many different roles, and we’re naturally stronger in some of those than others. This year’s conference will focus on how we can use our skills in the best ways possible, whether you’re a new or seasoned advocate, and wherever your experiences lie. 

Join us for three days of engaging with your strengths and building your skills, so that we can all find our collective courage together.

Registration opens in July 2024.  

Conference Dates:

September 24-26, 2024

Conference Location:

Sunset Station Hotel & Casino

1301 W Sunset Rd

Henderson, NV 89014

This training is supported by the Administration for Children and Families, Family Violence Prevention and Services, Grant No. 2201NVSTC6. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the presenters and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act.

Released Reports

Thank you to our sponsors!

This publication was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-22-GG-00914-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in the publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.