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February 17, 2017 | Deeds Digest No. 39
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Hello #ChangeMakers!
It’s been an amazing week - one that has taken me to a record attendance Planned Parenthood luncheon in Houston, to The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio’s “Ignite Change” conference in the Columbus statehouse and to the BBYO conference in Dallas attended by 2,500 young men and women inspired by the role they can play in pushing for positive change.
Photo: @messycar
At each of these events, I was inspired by the number of young people just like you who I was privileged to talk with, many of whom expressed a desire to run for office themselves. And all of whom are stepping up in important ways to make their voices heard.
This week’s digest features a couple of important ways that you, too, can help ignite change.
As you may know, next week Congress is in recess so that congresspersons can return home to their districts and communicate with their constituents. Most representatives will be hosting town halls on February 20. Find out now where your congressional member town halls will be and make a plan to attend with friends! This is an ideal opportunity for you to voice your values and let your representatives know that you expect them to vote those values on your behalf. Need help figuring out how to present yourself? This handy guide from Indivisible will give you a few helpful tips.
If you aren’t able to attend a town hall or if your representative isn’t hosting one, don’t be afraid to call his or her office and ask for a meeting. At the very least, you’ll have an opportunity to meet with one of their staffers and you’ll have an opportunity to talk about issues of importance to you.
Remember: these town halls aren’t just an opportunity to voice concerns, they are also a good venue for expressing gratitude to a congressperson who has been acting in ways you appreciate, too! And, if you’re lucky enough to be represented by someone who has your back, show up and let them know that you’ve got theirs in return.
Additionally, in our “Do” section below, find out how you can join students in Georgia who are pushing back against a draconian law that would force survivors of campus sexual assault back into the shadows, while relieving their universities of responsibility for conducting their own investigations into alleged assaults on their campuses. They are asking for your help and we’ve provided some very simple ways that you can provide it.
Photo: @womensfundco
My faith and awe of you grows by the day, #ChangeMakers! Keep up the good fight!
xo,
-wendy
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This week’s #ChangeMakers: Laura Dunn - Founder of SurvJustice
“People know if your civil rights get violated, you go to the ACLU. I want people to know if you get raped, you go to SurvJustice.” Our #ChangeMaker of the week, Laura Dunn, describes her goal for SurvJustice, a nonprofit partner of Deeds Not Words dedicated to providing legal assistance for victims of sexual assault. Anywhere from one-fifth to one-quarter of women have experienced sexual assault by the time they graduate from college, which means SurvJustice supports a vast population of survivors. Dunn herself is part of this population.
As a sophomore in college, she was raped by two fellow teammates. When university police dropped her case after only 9 months, Dunn took her frustration and channeled into a national campaign against sexual assault. Eventually she filed a Title IX complaint against her college to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, but the department ruled in favor of the school. This only fueled her to commit to a legal career to equip herself with the ability to remedy the wrongs she herself experienced. In doing just that, she’s worked alongside Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and Barack Obama to ensure justice is served for survivors across the nation. We are honored to work with such a passionate and effective #ChangeMaker!
Know a hero making a difference in their community? Send us a picture of someone you’d like to see as #ChangeMaker of the week here, along with their story, and you might just see it in the next Deeds Digest. |
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On Valentine's Day this week, victims of sexual assault supported each other with messages of self-love. Check out the #SurvivorLoveLetters: “By telling our stories we seek to build knowledge and reflect on the ways we heal ourselves and our communities.”
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Melinda Gates sings the praises of contraceptives’ role in helping women build successful lives and has committed to bringing access to 120 million women by 2020. Now that is music to our ears!
Watch her talk about why birth control access is important enough to make this commitment above.
“It’s no accident that my three kids were born three years apart—or that I didn’t have my first child until I'd finished graduate school and devoted a decade to my career at Microsoft. My family, my career, my life as I know it are all the direct result of contraceptives. And now, I realize how lucky that makes me.” -Melinda Gates
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Universities all across the country are standing up against sexual assault, like at Northwestern where they recently rallied for the removal of a fraternity where alleged assaults occurred in January. Most importantly, they shared their survivor stories to inspire change, which you can watch above.
"As a survivor I don't need someone asking me, 'are you sure you said 'no' loud enough,'" said one woman, who asked not to be identified. "Stop questioning survivors and start questioning rapists."
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Who’s having trouble keeping their head above water with so many bills to track and representatives to follow?
We got you covered. The options below help you track and participate in politics at the local, state and federal levels. You’re welcome.
Local
State
Federal
- Want to send your legislators emails and video messages on the go? There’s an app for that! Countable provides quick communication with federal representatives and explains complex legislation, so you can make change on the run.
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Voice Your Opposition to Georgia’s House Bill 51!
Georgia’s House Bill 51 aims to stop colleges and universities from investigating cases of sexual assault until criminal charges are pressed by law enforcement. Students across the state took action against the bill, and now they’re looking for #ChangeMakers across the country to assist their fight. We hope you choose to DO so below!
What to say:
- We've pulled out some high level talking points on HB51 and its implications from the articles above:
- If the proposed legislation passes, schools would not be able to punish a student accused of rape or assault until a criminal court finds them guilty or the suspect pleads guilty.
- This restricts the power of schools to handle sexual assault and relieves them of the responsibility to protect students and hold accused students accountable.
- This also drives survivors underground. Forcing them to choose a criminal complaint as their only means of reporting a campus assault often means they won’t come forward.
How to help:
- Fill out this handy Google Form to send a letter to representatives voicing your opposition to HB51
- Remember, you do not need to be a Georgia resident to voice opposition.
- You also don’t have to be a student -- Students Against HB 51 want parents’ voices too!
- Victims of assault are encouraged to share their stories, but everyone is encouraged to voice their opposition!
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