a crowd sourced podcast

Taboo topics from the silly to the serious. Listen, share and send us your recorded Tabu Talks! info [at] tabutalk.org

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Art, animation and audio. #Ferguson

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"Raw and unrehearsed, African American students at a Seattle high school go on camera to give thoughtful answers to questions posed by their fellow students. These powerful voices open a doorway into their world that will make you question your stereotypes. This film was an official selection in the 2014 Social Justice Film Festival"

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"If you could change one thing about your body, what would it be?" Watch how the kids answer vs. adults.

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Tech Tips for recording your Tabu Talks

We are so glad you're up for this... 1. Prepare bullet points of your Tabu Talk, or write questions if you are interviewing someone, etc. and practice speaking slowly and with articulation. Notice the number of times your words run into the next --that makes for difficult cuts! Mind your "ums" and "likes" and please try not to inflect at the end of each senTENCE! You can take your time and repeat something if you mess up. We will cut the best parts together 2. Pick a quiet, cozy, soft space to record. Bonus points if it has less noise than a church! Turn off background music, close windows and even unplug the fridge if it is humming. Look out for paper ruffling too if you are reading from it! 3. Test your audio device and record at least one full minute of complete silence. This is collects ambient noise which helps us edit your best pieces together without jarring, silent cuts. 4. Think about the content of your words. Are there any sounds that you could collect to add to the story? Say you are talking about a park, is there a park nearby that you could record the squeeking swing set? Or maybe sirens to go along with a conversation about policing? Is there a famous quote or song reference that you can find to include in your piece? Etc, etc... 5. Get creative and have some fun with this, whether silly or serious!

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Visit Original Link

In 2012, a group of Seattle young people working on the Youth Voices Against Violence campaign held a Teen Night Out Against Violence. They interviewed their friends to gather a youth perspective on the issue and ask why it's not talked about. Listen!

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Photo Source: Jamal Williams

On Thursday August 14th, 2014, Feminsta Jones called for a National Moment of Silence (NMOS) to pay ‘respect to fatal victims of police shootings and brutality’. New Orleans, a (for now…) majority black city with a long history of police violence...

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We asked people at Slutwalk Seattle if rape was taboo. Here are their responses. Read more about it at our videographer, Sara Stogner's blog.

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Tabu volunteers in Seattle went out to SlutWalk on Sunday, June 19 to promote the Sexual Assault Awareness Video Contest, spark conversations about rape and march against "victim-blaming and slut-shaming." More photos can be found at our Flickr page... and stay tuned to see a video featuring several SlutWalkers!

Some tabu talk so far:

"I wasn't raped because of what I was wearing. I was raped because a rapist raped me."

"I went on with my life. Being raped didn't define mean and it doesn't define you."

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What's in a name?

Just found a Patch.com news article discussing a name change of Pasco County's Sexual and Domestic Violence Task Force to Family and Community Enhancement Task Force. The article asks, "Are we that afraid to talk about the issues of domestic and sexual abuse that now we cannot even name these crimes for what they are on a county task force?" This really struck a cord with me as just yesterday I was trying to make a new Facebook page for our "Rape is not okay, but it's okay to talk about" group but Facebook's automated system wouldn't let me create a page with the word rape in it. I mean, I get it. In theory it's great that Facebook won't allow pages with possibly offensive words, but at Tabu we're actually trying to actively start conversations around a host of taboo topics and that becomes a bit difficult when you can't actually use the word you're trying to make less taboo. So what do you think? Does the actual name of a task force or Facebook community page matter if the mission is still to create safer spaces?

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Naming rape victims in news stories

A discussion on our alumni forum yesterday was about naming rape victims in news stories. Below is a post from both a journalist and a survivor of rape. What do you think the policy should be?

I have debated all day on whether or not to voice my opinion on this matter, and I am no longer able to keep quiet. As both a survivor of rape and a former reporter, I feel I can shed some light on this topic. I do realize that other survivors of rape might have a different view, so please do not take my words as a blanket statement for how all rape victims feel. This is simply what I believe. I am horrified that there is even a debate on whether or not to print the names of accusers. I was raped by a stranger while I was worked as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian, and I did not report the crime because of fear that somehow my name would be revealed. Until this post, only a handful of people who know me knew about it. It has taken me more than eight years to get to this point where I am even able to react to this post, and name myself while doing so. I do not believe that rape is a crime that can be compared to any other. It is a crime of power. True. But it is also an attack on a person's spirit and his/her sexual organs. Victims face public scrutiny and carry with them feelings of shame, of blaming themselves, etc. In my opinion, the recovery would be much worse if their names were printed in reference to such an unspeakable crime. And, yes, I realize it is our society that has made this crime unspeakable and placed such a stigma on the accusers, but I do not think forcing them into the public eye is going to do anything to make it better. Feelings of shame already caused me to wonder if people were looking at me and somehow knew what had happened to me. If my name had been printed, then everyone would have known. I do not think I could have faced anyone, which would have made my recovery that much harder. I realize I am only one person, but I know the fear of my name being revealed is what kept me from reporting my rape. It seems pretty safe to assume there are others who feel the same way. According to RAINN, 60 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to the police, and "15 of 16 rapists walk free." How can journalists see these numbers and even think about doing something that could make them worse than they already are? The point of journalism is not merely to report the truth. It is about revealing the truth in an effort to bring about change for the good. Nothing good can come to the victim by revealing his/her name without permission.

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The women from "I'm a survivor of rape" talk about the experience one year later and encourage others to start conversations about rape. How will you talk about it?

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Getting to know us: Leslie's proudest moment

Since graduating college, I’ve moved to New York and have been working to make my own way in the big city. I moved here without a job and searched for six weeks and was rewarded with a fantastic job doing social media. The thrill of a salary was short-lived however, as lay offs came around and I found myself unemployed after four months. Again, I find myself searching online job sites daily, working an unpaid internship to help make up for the little actual job experience I have and work toward realizing my nonprofit dreams. Although it might seem trivial to some, I think moving to New York is my proudest accomplishment in my life so far. I’ve wanted to move here for about eight years. I thought for sure I’d move here for college, but instead I took a small detour in the Midwest. As soon as I graduated I set my sights on New York once again. I hadn’t forgotten my dream and I was prepared to follow it. One day in November I was riding the subway to work, reading Just Kids, a book by Patti Smith, who like so many, had moved to New York prepared to make her dream of becoming an artist come true and was struggling to actual see any result. Portions of the subway are actually outside and as my train came out from the tunnel on this sunny morning in Brooklyn I looked up and realized that I was truly proud of myself. I had done exactly what I told my family I was going to do: move to New York and get a job. I got off the subway and just smiled to myself. I’ve never had a moment of reflection like that, feeling absolutely happy and content with myself. Even though now it seems like the day was very far I know I can make it in the city, again. My next goal is to make my nonprofit dreams come true and just like New York City, I have no doubt that I will actually achieve it. Just a year ago all we had was a name inspired by a board game and a whole lot of willpower. In that year we’ve become a 501(c)3, raised $1,600 for our projects and started our first project, a short film to raise rape awareness. I feel like that is quite a lot to be proud of in one year and I’m just hoping this goal doesn’t take me eight years to complete.

[awesomenesssaveslives]

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mymilkspilt:

awesomenesssaveslives:

SlutWalk Boston-162 by pweiskel08 on Flickr.

This woman’s righteous anger just made me cry.

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Getting to know us: Colleen's proudest moment

Two years ago I was a senior at the University of Missouri pondering life after graduation. With journalism career opportunities shrinking I made a vow to find meaningful work beyond the traditional newsroom setting. During that final semester of college I found my niche between advocacy, community engagement and social issue reporting, all sparked by a class assignment. Upon discovering several women in my life had been victims of sexual violence, I set out to make a documentary for my photojournalism capstone course. I was shocked, angered and felt the need to raise awareness about this horrific reality. Four survivors of rape found relief in sharing their stories as they voiced intimate details to my camera. Their healing continues as the project spreads hope to others. (http://www.tabutalk.org/survivor.html) “I am a rape victim just coming to terms with what happened. This was the most powerful thing I've ever seen. Thank you so much.” -Anonymous “You might not realize the impact you have on others, but your kindness, openness, peaceful demeanor and heartfelt intellect are enough to help a person start re-believing in the goodness of humanity.” -Sarah The impact from this project is difficult to measure, but I am reminded of its influence with every message and anonymous comment from a viewer who is inspired to take action against rape and sexual violence upon watching. One young woman was so empowered by the film that she chose to speak out for the first time about her experience with rape. Art was the only way she could face her past and painting her emotions has helped her regain her life. I’m thrilled and humbled to say she claims to have been saved by the message she found in my film. This story alone would be enough, but there are several which mirror its sentiment. The documentary has sparked meaningful, engaging conversations surrounding one of the world’s most “tabu” topics through public screenings, panels with the women, visits to advocacy conferences and even discussions with journalism classes. However, it wasn’t until it received recognition from the Hearst Journalism Foundation and was featured on CNN that my project’s impact was more widespread than I had imagined. (http://www.tabutalk.org/media.html) Upon hearing these accolades the concept for Tabu became concrete. My calling became encouraging other young people to use their talents in addressing neglected issues and to realize their power in making a difference. After graduation I spent a year as an Americorps*VISTA volunteer where I worked to empower young entrepreneurs. Seeing children embark on successful ventures was encouraging and the experience opened my eyes to social entrepreneurship, the nonprofit world and the power of innovation. With entrepreneurship comes much risk and I have embraced it, leaving a comfortable life in the Midwest and following my Tabu dream to Seattle.

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Getting to know us: Jacque's proudest moment

Last week we did a little exercise to write about our proudest accomplishment to date in 3,000 words or less. I believe it came about after we had to answer this question for the New Media Women Entrepreneurs grant. So here's our Fund Developer, Jacque's proudest moment. (Her's may be a bit over 3,000, but we won't fault her for that)

It’s hard for me to pin-point just one defining moment in my life. To tell you the truth there isn’t just one. But I haven’t become the person I am today just by accident. My first memory of me wanting to help someone out, I was in the drive-thru at a Taco Bell in Jefferson City with my mom and they were super slow. I remember turning to my mom saying I wanted to work at Taco Bell when I get older so they can do better. I know huge aspirations as a youngster but that’s when I first knew I wanted to help people so they could become better. I grew up seeing my parents volunteer and help the community. They were deeply involved in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Eldon Soccer Program, they really made things happen and I had an admiration for that. So as soon as I could I helped coach a soccer team. I think I was 13 or 14 helping out my younger brothers soccer team, making them better. In high school I was involved in pretty much every club possible that time would allow me. After high school I went to college at Lindenwood and this is really one of my more defining moments. It was my sophomore year and I hadn’t really found a major that I loved and was searching for meaning in my life. That same year hurricane Katrina hit the southern coast. I remember endless news stories about the many lives were effected and knew that I had to do something about it. At the time my best friend Hope was going to UMSL and we had both received emails from our schools saying there was an opportunity to pay I think 30 dollars and travel to New Orleans to volunteer and do really anything that needed to be done. So we went. I remember pulling into town and seeing this destruction surrounding us everywhere. It was really one of the most unbelievable things I had ever seen. Talk about a pure act of nature. As we were pulling into the warehouse that was to be our home for the next week, instead of feeling loss and sorrow there was a sense of hopefulness in the air. Surrounded by 1,000 other college aged students who chose to volunteer instead of the usual binge drinking on a beach, I was floored. I knew then that humanity is alive and well. And there is always someone to lend a hand even if it’s a strangers. We spent the week in some of the humblest conditions imaginable, there were holes in the wall of the warehouse, we slept on cots, showered in tents, and only had port-a-potties for restrooms. It was no week at the Ritz, I’ll tell you that. Our days consisted of getting up early eating whatever meal was provided by Red Cross then going out into the neighborhoods that were most effected. We ended up gutting three houses, spent a day cleaning up a city park, and visiting Red Cross tents where they were feeding the people who chose to stay. When I left there I knew I had done something worthwhile and wanted to continue that. I went back to school and had to find a major that would let me do that on a daily basis. I guess the stars must have been aligned because out of the 2,000 some odd colleges in the United States only 70 of those offer a degree in Nonprofit Management and Lindenwood was one of those. So that’s just what I did. After I graduated I had in my mind that I wanted to take a year off and relax and found a part-time job at UPS. I know not a place where you would find someone who is seeking a job in the nonprofit business. But it led me to reconnect with Colleen McDevitt. I shared with her one of my dreams to start a nonprofit one day. I knew I wanted it to deal with art and how that can bring people together and really question how our society is seeing our problems and how we can influence those people by making them see it in a different light. At the same time she was making a project that had a deep impact on her friends in her life. She created a documentary about four women who had been raped and what it had done and meant to them in their life. And through many conversations an idea was born. The idea of Tabu and that’s where I am today. In the midst of grinding out how to make Tabu take off. And I am very proud of that.

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New documentary, Who Does She Think She Is? explores women with careers and a family and why women artists seem to have such a hard time.

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SlutWalk

During April's Sexual Assault Awareness Month we tweeted a story about a Toronto police officer suggesting women could prevent sexual assault by not dressing like "sluts." Now it seems many are rallying against this type of advice with a SlutWalk, which protests both slut-shaming and rape culture. Boston's and Rochester's are this Saturday, May 7th. Find one in your city here.