Black Lives Matter: Police Brutality and Ally Awareness Panel

ASUO Men’s Center and Black Male Alliance

May 3rd, 2016: Global Scholars Hall Great Room 7-9pm

Free Coffee, Tea, Cookies, and Brownies will be provided! 

The purpose of the “Black Lives Matter: Police Brutality and Ally Awareness” panel is to raise awareness on the B.L.M. movement, and focus on the underrepresented people within the movement while providing information on how potential allies can practice ally behavior. By creating a better understanding of intersecting identities within the B.L.M. movement, we hope that institutional violence can be decreased, prevented, and stopped all together through education, awareness, and community engagement at a local and national level.

The ASUO Men’s Center, in collaboration with the Black Male Alliance, Multicultural Center, Ethnic Studies and other student organizations and departments, will invite experts to present on a panel. As stated above, they will speak on three themes 1) The Black Lives Matter Movement and why it is important, 2) the underrepresentation of black trans/ gender nonconforming, women, and girls lives within the movement, and 3) thoughts and perspectives on how people who don’t identify as black can be effective allies.

Panelists will include:

• Akilah Powell – Racial Justice Coordinator, ASUO Women’s Center
• Samara Mokaya – Student Staff/ Coordinator, UO Multicultural Center
• Dr. Reyes Santos – Professor, Ethnic Studies
• Mr. Mark Harris – Professor, UO and LCC

On the weekend of January 30th and 31st, UO students leaders from a variety of organizations, ASUO Men’s Center staff and volunteers, and staff attended the two day training facilitated by 3 Men Can Stop Rape trainers from Washington DC. It was a blast and we are excited to share what we learned at our Meet and Greet Social February 18th (HEDCO 144, 5:30-7:00PM, Free food and drinks!) and when we start the MOST Club first thing spring term ! For more info see our MOST Club info page.

Men’s Center Assistant Director, AJ Fierro Stephens, is working with Men’s Center and UO Multicultural Center Staff to coordinate the Black Lives Matter: Police Brutality and Ally Awareness Panel scheduled for Spring of 2016! See below for information on the Mission of the event. To get involved in the collaboration and help out email the AJ at:

alexandr@uoregon.edu

Black Lives Matter: Police Brutality and Ally Awareness Panel:

ASUO Men’s Center

The purpose of the “Black Lives Matter: Police Brutality and Ally Awareness” panel is to raise awareness on the B.L.M. movement, and focus on the underrepresented people within the movement while providing information on how potential allies can practice ally behavior. By creating a better understanding of intersecting identities within the B.L.M. movement, we hope that institutional violence can be decreased, prevented, and stopped all together through education, awareness, and community engagement at a local and national level.

The ASUO Men’s Center, in collaboration with student organizations and departments at the University of Oregon, will invite experts to present on a panel. As stated above, they will speak on three themes 1) The Black Lives Matter Movement and why it is important, 2) the underrepresentation of black trans/ gender nonconforming, women, and girls lives within the movement, and 3) thoughts and perspectives on how people who don’t identify as black can be effective allies.

The ASUO Men’s Center, in partnership with the Epsilon Omicron Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta (more commonly referred to as FIJI) and the UO Organization Against Sexual Assault, are very excited to announce the start of the Men of Strength Team (MOST) Club. This Club is the college outreach program of the award-winning, non-profit, sexual violence prevention organization called, “Men Can Stop Rape”. Thanks to funding from ASUO and FIJI, we will be starting the 10-week program on the first week of spring term, 2016.

While sexual violence has been a huge issue for quite some time, it has only recently begun to emerge from under the shadows of complacency and inadequate preventative response. Sexual violence negatively impacts the lives of people of all genders and identities… especially those identifying as women. The dichotomy of men being aggressors and women being victims is unfortunate, but statistically true. The ASUO Men’s Center, FIJI, the UO Organization Against Sexual Assault, and the ASUO believe that men can play a key role in the prevention of sexual violence on our campus and in our community. The MOST Club aims to do just that through 10 weeks of a safe-space discussion and education on a variety of topics relating to reconstructing masculinity, sexual violence prevention, and intersectionality.

The goals of the MOST Club are:

• Provide college men with a safe, supportive space to connect with male peers.
• Promote an understanding of the ways in which traditional masculinity contributes to sexual assault and other forms of men’s violence against women.
• Expose college men to healthier, nonviolent models/ visions of manhood.
• Build college men’s capacity to become peer leaders and allies with women.
• Serve as a hub for social justice, activism, and non‐violence.

The MOST Clubs around the country have historically been geared towards cis male identified people, but it is very important to note our chapter welcomes and encourages and invites people of all genders and identities as is consistent with the ASUO Men’s Center Mission and Vision (see home page). Group meetings will be held on campus, every Thursday night from 6:30 PM to 7:50 PM, starting March 31st, 2016. Don’t worry about dinner, because we’ll have pizza and refreshments at every meeting! Throughout the 10 weeks, we hope to accomplish the MOST Club goals by facilitating the creation of a safe, inclusive, space where members can learn and grow together and feel empowered to create social change on issues relating to masculinity and sexual violence prevention . Reconstructing the culture of masculinity to one that is healthier and deconstructing a culture that perpetuates sexual violence is a huge endeavor, so we need to hit the ground running. So, we need your help! Please share this blog post so that passionate individuals on our campus become aware of this new and exciting opportunity.

If you would like to join us, please email the MOST Club Facilitators at uomostclub@gmail.com with your name and number, and – if you are part of one – the campus group you are involved with. Let’s be the change necessary to help end sexual violence and to end violent masculinity.