Event Recap: #MeToo, how do we heal?

I couldn’t be happier with the results from #metoo, how do we heal on 11/291/8. The entire process of curating and producing this event gave me hope and inspires me to keep finding solutions to move forward. Of course, like any live event, it was a rollercoaster.

So….the event happened to be on the one night it was pouring rain in Los Angeles and I was worried about turnout. A rare event, but so was “#MeToo, how to we heal?” at The Riveter Marina Del Rey. We kicked off the night with 12 engaged audience members who stayed passed our scheduled time. I initially had concerns that this content would be too heavy, and those worries faded as we started the event. There was a feeling of solidarity in the room throughout the speaker sessions and we were deep in conversation afterwards past our scheduled time.

Here is a recap of the night and the actions items discussed.  To increate our impact, please share these with your friends and family.  

  • Celine Tricart:
    First, Celine spoke about her VR film The Sun Ladies. She traveled to Iraq to interview the Yazidi women who were kidnapped by ISIS, forced into sex slavery, escaped and become combat fighters. Yes, really! She shared that women who were fighting showed signs of healing and were able to readjust faster than those that did not take action. Throughout The Sun Ladies festival circuit, the team provided supplies so audience members could write letters of support to the women in the film. I personally can not wait to see the next round of footage when the translated letters are received by these brave fighters. How can you get involved?  
    ACTION: There are two days left to the kickstarter campaign.  Let's help Celine surpass her goal to translate and bring support letters to The Sun Ladies.  

  • Rachel Cook:  Rachel spoke about here experience in finance and about raising money for her startup, Seeds. Her male counterparts were raising far more money and receiving support, but that didn’t stop her. She founded and created the Seeds platform with the resources available and is now making the philanthropic token available to victims of sexual assault. In addition to allowing people to ask for and receive help, she is helping survivors crowdfund their healing.

    “Money isn't scarce, and in order for one person to financially 'win,' nobody has to lose.  We can transcend the old zero-sum economic paradigm together, creating abundance for us all.  Please join Seeds in asking for what you need, and helping others receive what they need too. <3 
    ACTION: To try and make Seeds as easy to use as we can, we're creating gift cards loaded with Seeds tokens, and pre-selling them at half price on our newly-launched site (yay!), www.seedsgives.com.  Please sign up and follow the prompts to receive more, and share the abundance with others as well.  Thank you!”

  • Stacie Aamon Yeldell:  Stacie shared here experience of sexual harassment and abuse of power in the workplace. She used this experience as fuel to create an environment for herself where she was safe and valued. As a board certified music therapist, she has created programs and workshops helping others do the same via hospitals, corporations and rehabilitation centers around the world.
    ACTION: Stacie is holding space for healing February 22-24 - Use the code "RIVETER" to receive 10% off Luminaria http://www.stacieaamon.com/trainings . She is also extending the discount to all session packages on her site. http://www.stacieaamon.com/work-with-me/

  • Amita Swadhin: Amita spoke with us her work and mission to end rape culture. She shared her story and statistics outlining higher rates of sexual violence among children, transgender and Native American communities.

    • 68% of girls and 30% of boys under 18 Source: Save the Children, Handicap International

    • 47% of transgender people Source: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Transequality.org

    • 34% of American Indian or Alaska Native Source: NCIA Policy Research Center 2013, US Government Accountability Office , 2013

    ACTION: We can fight back by calling our representatives to show support to reauthorize the H.R. 6545 Violence Against Women Act of 2018.  After reading through the site, I was moved by the request to improve the criminal justice response, as well as inclusion of technological abuse in the bill. Read through the bill and choose talking points that resonate with you to cite on your call.