Why I Rise - Part 31

Melodia Gutierrez

I rise for the social and political inequality that riddles our communities.  I rise for those that experience oppression, psychological abuse and violence.  I rise to support mutual acceptance.  I rise to end personal and corporate greed. I rise to change these numbers:  women making 77% of their male counterpart's income, 11 million undocumented citizens, 146.4 million Americans below the poverty line, 1 billion humans in poverty (which is set to double in a decade) across the globe, 100,649 children suffering from abuse, 1 in 3 women that will experience rape or beatings, 43% of Utah's Latinos will not graduate High School, 48% of Utah's African Americans will not graduate high school.  I rise to eliminate racism.  I rise to advocate for education.  

I rise to fight, through love, to end the injustices around us and to empower and be empowered by community.

Why I Rise - Part 15

Christina Klee Kilbane shares her wonderful thoughts with One Billion Rising-SLC.
She shares "Why she is rising...."

"I am rising to show all women who have ever been abused in anyway that they are not alone in this world. I feel it is necessary to my existence to support the women that have lost so much in these atrocious acts of violence. In doing so, it is my hope to bring strength, harmony and love back to the women who feel so lost, but also to stand up with the rest of the community and use the power of the masses to stop these barbaric acts from happening in the future."

Why I Rise - Part 12

 

16 December 2012.  9:30pm.  New Delhi, India.

A 23-year-old female physioteraphy student and a male companion were kidnapped, beaten and robbed in New Delhi.  She was raped by six men in a moving bus, who also used a rusted iron rod to penetrate her, then they were both thrown to the side of the road naked.  They were found around 11pm.  During the following days, she was in and out of coma, and in severe shock whenever she opened her eyes.  Thirteen days later, she died of multiple organ failure. He survived.

I was in India when this happened.  The country is angry, and the population is asking for the abusers, of which one is a minor, to be hung. A few days after the rape, there were student protests in New Delhi demanding changes in the law and security to women in India.  My desire to go was strong, but not as strong as the fear to be out at night in New Delhi, an unfamiliar place, known for its crimes towards women.  My partner, also female, and I felt a deeper interpretation of fear these days we were there.  We felt insecure, angry and hopeless.  And we are strong, daring and adventurous women. At that moment, that didn't matter. I even had the thought of how my fear would change if I had my best friend, a male, traveling with us.  It would.  Not much, as we learned from the case above, but it would.  One of the days we went to visit a garden with beautiful plant sculptures of Buddah.  I had been looking forward to it since before leaving home.  We got lost and arrived there a little before sunset.  When we entered, we had about 50 eyes on us.  All men.  We hesitated for a second, then we ran and got into a rickshaw who charged us about ten times what the ride was worth.  What money is worth the risk of being touched, abused, or violated by a stranger? None. Were we overreacting? Maybe, but no reasonable thought would make me walk into that gated garden. On our way back home in the metro, I felt something I never felt before, and I believe it is something close to a panic attack.  There were about sixty men, and three women in our cart.  Nothing happened, only constant staring for about 30 minutes.  Still, the consistent thought of what had happened to that girl a few nights before, who was still struggling for her life at that time, and that the small knife I had in my pocket couldn't do anything if two, or fifty men decided to hurt us.  That was when I realized how unreasonably unfair and violent this world can be.  That moment I decided to rise.

I disagree with execution of the offenders.  I agree with education.  We, women and men, from any and all backgrounds, languages and cultures, must rise to educate, to inform, and to serve as examples of change.  Change happens when we fight for it.  People rising and speaking up has been the only means by which society changed, has been changing and will change.  In April 2011, Toronto's chief police officer, when approached regarding increasing numbers of rape in universities, requested women to dress less like sluts in order to not be victimized. The Slut Walk, everywhere in the world, started, and it has taught me valuable lessons, as I hope it has others.

It saddens me to see friends about my age undergo the pressure of a sexist society, where the women believe they are less powerful, less intelligent, less human, weaker and shallow individuals and that male dominance, including any form of abuse is acceptable. It frustrates me to think that my 4-year-old niece and 8 year-old brother will grow up in such a world.  It brings tears to my eyes to even think of possibility of them being victims of behaviors from such society that has yet to understand fairness, human rights, equality, and justice.  

It is my duty to fight for change. 

That is why I rise.

Submitted by the amazing Carla Locatelli of both Salt Lake City, Utah and São Paulo Brazil

Why I Rise - Part 10

Amanda Glenn Romualdo assertively stands up and voices her stand with us!
Amanda lives in the Salt Lake area and involves herself in her community as she shows below. She radiates with strength, intelligence and grace wherever she goes.

She tells how it is! "Why she is rising..."

" It’s simple: violence against women is inhuman. And it should never happen.

But it does. It doesn’t discriminate and happens to women of all walks of life—from those living in vanilla suburbia to women struggling in war-torn zones. I rise for my friends who have been victim to rape. I rise for my mother-in-law who was physically abused by her step-mom. I rise for my Sudanese ESL student who sadly told me, “I’m so lucky. I only got raped.” I rise for the fact that even our country’s leaders don’t get it and spew absurd crap like, “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to shut the whole thing down.” This needs to stop."

Why I Rise - Part 7

We have been reaching out far and near.
Local reporter for KUTV 2News Amanda Jones tell us "Why she is rising..." She speaks up with sincerity and sternness.
Amanda is a beautiful and strong woman. We are so lucky to have her in Salt Lake and have her support!!

She shares;
"I am rising for women to stand tall, free of judgement and being downcast. They tell us women have come so far, but when less-than-equal pay, abuse and rape are still everyday issues, how far have we really come? Men, women: Come together and support WOMEN. We are creatures of love. We will give all of our love to you and nurture this world if only we are respected, and loved. It starts with catching that one thought in your head that plays into stereotypes, or rationalizes a mistreatment. I am rising to inspire people to refrain from a sexist joke; stop a sexist thought; and refuse to play into a sexist situation. It starts with you, and will have glorious effects. Women: We are enough! And with everyone rising, the world will see it, too."

Why I Rise - Part 6

In this life we never know the cards that will be dealt.
After my parents died, I lost myself. Like a fish out of water, flopping back and forth struggling for air.
I lived back and forth, between, and above and below.
While I was still in middle school I was living with another sister of mine, it was a difficult situation. On both parts she was a young woman raising her teenage sister and how would she ever know how to do that?
She had kids of her own, but how do you deal with a 13 year old that had lost both her parents that hated and distrusted everything in life?
Unfortunately I watched myself deteriorate and even more how my sister was very submissive to her husband. My decisions that I made at the time never were smart, but regardless I made them. I was causing havoc at all costs because I felt it was the best ways to have people interact with me in my life.

It slowly yet progressively went down hill.
I never liked my sisters husband and I grew to know why. That day, I remember the weather, and the rose plants, and life.
As I was leaving to go to a friends house, I was talking with my sister as maybe I wasn’t supposed to go, my friend was walking up to me, Behind me I heard footsteps, I remember the anger in his voice and he grabbed me by my arm and lifted me up with all his might and threw me into the house.
I ran so fast crying down the road. Bruises resided and I went on my way living.
The tension only grew stronger between me and him. I was constantly told I was a failure and always reminded of what I did that made me such a horrible person.
The tension only grew stronger as I had to watch him abuse his kids, what do you do when you are 14 years old and you see your niece with a welted hand print on her chest? Or hear him yelling upstairs and the kids screaming? You cant fight back and it’s a hush hush between everyone else.
It proceeded, but the tension got so bad and I was moved.
This unfortunate situation had built me on unstable grounds. Lack of human emotion and thinking life just goes on this way. My confidence going into high school was all but there. I seeked out attention in the wrong ways.
It led to being objectified, taken advantage of, laughed at, dehumanized and petrified.
Any relationship I had seemed to be in the same: 2 years or 3 years of anger, bitter words, locking myself in the bathroom so I could get away, crying, not talking, being called a bitch, a whore,( you can fill in you adjectives),having fists and objects thrown around my head, and then waking up and pretending that I was fine.


What happened to me? I think of how powerful my mother was and how strong she was.
Who am I ? Why am I sitting here letting myself go through this?
I am not quiet anymore, and I will not be silenced anymore!
I am over the submissive me,
I am sick of watching myself being torn down
I will not let the oppressor decided my fate!



I has taken me years of finding who I am and having wonderful mentors helping me build my voice, listening to women’s stories that they so want to share with another woman. It is finding the comfort in voicing your opinion and knowing you and all women and girls have that right.
It isn’t normal to have to feel objectified, outcasted, worthless, beaten, silenced, or afraid.
I am rising for the human right that all women and girls have the right to protect their mind, body, and soul.

~A Woman Rising
Salt Lake City, Utah

*Please submit your own "Why I Rise" story to OBRSLC@gmail.com (Please include an alias if you would not like to be identified, as well as a photo of either yourself - or something you relate to)

Why I Rise - Part 5

More people are rising!!!! People are speaking up! Speak up with them.
Whitney Norton shares "Why she is Rising...."

"For the first time in 18 years, Congress failed to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Resources to fund the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, as well as resources for the women's recovery, are going away. The House of Representatives thinks violence against women is not important. I'm rising."

Salt Lake City, UT