Considerations of Identity

Race & Ethnicity

prejudice

the act of judging someone or some thing before the facts are known.  Assuming that someone of a specific ethnic group or "race" will act in a particular way is an example of pre-judging them.  When people from different groups have little or no contact with each other, they are likely to hold prejudicial views about each other and to act upon them.  If the prejudicial views are inaccurate, they can be obstacles to productive dialog and understanding.  See stereotype and discrimination.
– Dr. Dennis O’Neil
Behavioral Sciences Department, Palomar College, San Marcos, California
The Nature of Ethnicity - course materials: http://anthro.palomar.edu/ethnicity/ethnic_2.htm

Perhaps the most complex, problematic, and politically charged aspect of our identity is assignment of race or ethnicity.

Race is primarily a cultural creation; it is not born of biological reality. The sub-division of the human species came about because of the dynamics of power and control and distribution of resources which privileged some and marginalized others. 

In America, people born with white skin enjoy the privilege of being considered the “default” race: people of other races are usually asked to identify themselves in relation to this presumed dominant identity. Part of privilege is not having to think about race, skin color, or the myriad ways in which we are empowered by default. Dominant systems remain in place by virtue of going unexamined.

Therefore, racial identity presents increased barriers to victims/survivors receiving services; it can also play a role in the perpetuation of myths about the identity of perpetrators.

Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story – 

Read NSVRC’s (National Sexual Violence Resource Center) statement on Multilingual Access 

Bilingual SAAM Resources + Calling Spanish-speaking Advocates

Arte Sana is gearing up to publish an updated version of their Bilingual SAAM e-toolkit in 2012, to help bilingual advocates engage Spanish-speaking communities in Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) activities. The “Caja de Herramientas SAAM” will include information and presentations in Spanish, the Corazán Lastimado: Healing the Wounded Heart survivor art exhibit packet, original art in a jpeg format that can be used in presentations and handouts, as well as tested playlists of canciones that are effective for outreach work. 

In addition to the products, they will include a national list of trainers with experience addressing sexual assault issues in Spanish. Please forward this message to anyone who may be interested in completing a speaker application form. 

Only a limited number of CDs will be prepared. If you are interested in receiving Caja de herramientas SAAM CD order information please contact  ayuda_latina@yahoo.com.

Ethnic Identity Specific Information:

• Latina/Latino
• African American
• Native American
• Asian Pacific Islander (coming soon)
• white (coming soon)

Additional Resources:

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) Report on Immigrant Women [links to SPLC's publications page where the report can be downloaded] 

SARCC (Sexual Assault Resource and Counseling Center, Lebanon, PA): Reaching Latino Victims of Sexual Violence Marketing Toolkit 

Justice Cancelled for Immigrant Women: The folks at the Women’s Justice Center in California have released a resource to help communities understand the impact of immigration policies on victims: What Advocates and Communities Should Know About the New Law Enforcement Immigration Policies and their Effects on Victims of Violence Against Women and Children; you can download the resource here  in English - or here en español .

Further Reading:

Q&A: Beyond black and white in Madison’s schools  | Feb. 2012

WCASA responds to Anti-Immigration Legislation proposed by Representative Don Pridemore (R-Hartford) [read more] • 2011