Just in time for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Sil Lai Abrams (pictured above), renowned domestic violence activist and founder and CEO of Truth In Reality, Inc., has launched RedefiningHERstory, a “national campus social action program” conceptualized to “reshape the existing violent and hyper-sexualized stereotypes of women of color in the media while simultaneously reducing the cultural acceptance of gender-based violence in the Black community.”
“The goal of this initiative is to challenge students on their existing belief systems around domestic violence and sexual violence,” Abrams said. “And redefine the predominately negative existing media narrative of Black women by using the media messaging on reality television as the basis for this conversation.”
According to TIL’s press release:
Research has shown that Black women suffer from disproportionately high rates of domestic violence, intimate partner homicide, sexual assault and teen dating abuse. Redefining HERstory empowers students of color to be active participants and national leaders in the effort to reshape the existing image of women of color in the media while simultaneously decreasing cultural acceptance of gender-based violence. Partner schools include Grambling State University and Kent State University, with additional schools [to be announced] shortly.
Gendered-based violence is an issue that disproportionately affects Black communities throughout the United States.