Re: the 2016 Presidential Election

Dear GWIS and friends, The executive board would like to express our pride in and gratitude for the GWIS community in the wake of the shocking results of our recent presidential election. This will be a turbulent, uncertain, and emotional time as we process the feelings of fear, shock, anger, and grief echoed by so many of us.  Against the dark background of this political climate, it is hard not to be inspired by the empathy, strength, and bravery being shared throughout the GWIS community by the talented and brilliant people within it. By holding each other in radical compassion, this community will persevere. Times like these remind us why we have worked so hard to create it.  GWIS avidly rejects the messages of hatred and exclusion that the newly elected administration represent, and their violent and toxic backlash within the nation. We reject the contempt that is being shown not only for women, but for every marginalized group in this country. We always and will always reject racism, sexism, and xenophobia in any and every form. With this rejection comes a necessary commitment to fighting oppression in its many forms, and using our power to fight hatred, violence, and ignorance. This nationally monumental step backwards does not dampen but rather strengthens our resolve – and our urgency- to build a lasting culture of compassion, inclusion, and social justice in our community.  There are many messages aiming to tell us that we don’t belong here. They could not be more wrong. As essential members of our larger university community, we have the right to an environment free of hatred and violence, and the power to protect that right. We can choose this moment to educate, agitate, and organize. Change can be slow sometimes, but it is possible if we commit to moving from passive acceptance to active resistance of the things that threaten our freedom and our health. We must stand up for ach other, and reach out to create new allies while refusing to allow the culture of exclusion to take root within our community. Moving forward, we will be calling on our collective education, creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving skills to navigate our path through the near future, but while we do this, we need to keep each other safe. Remembering that taking care of ourselves and each other is an act of resilience – seek to lend strength to others when possible and reach out for help when necessary.  We will get through this together. Here are some practices that we will be adopting to that end: 1. Peer to peer check-ins We will be starting peer to peer check-ins. Peer to peer check-ins would occur by texting each other at designated intervals. These work best if the person is not someone who you already spend a lot of time with. If you would like to register your check-ins for additional support from the GWIS community or be matched with someone from our community to check in with you can do so here. 2. Support and Reporting Resources  If you are being threatened in any form and on any level we encourage you to seek support. If you’re in crisis, you can text HELLO to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources. If you feel safe calling the UMass Police Department, reporting will get the incident on record which helps with criminal convictions. The Massachusetts Attorney General has also opened a reporting hotline specifically for bias incidents and hate crimes in the wake of the election. Please also tell us about it here in our threat compilation so that if many women are experiencing similar threats, we can use the collective information to petition for preventative measures, and find other ways to help one another. For instance, if we need to form groups to walk to cars after work…etc. 3. Organize and Campaign In response to violence against women and rape culture that has spread across the nation, we remain committed to working towards safe and equitable working environments for women and especially Muslim, queer, trans, Black, brown, immigrant, and international women. If this election has called you to get involved in organizing, GWIS is here for that.  Among other things, we will be accelerating our Title IX campaign for safe and equitable working environments. We will be distributing more information about this shortly.  Volunteer here. 4. Tell us what we can do to support you here. We have drawn from our own experiences to offer what we can, but we acknowledge that they are not all-encompassing. Take care of yourselves and each other; we look forward to continuing this conversation with you.  The GWIS Executive Board