I am writing this post to remind everyone that each SlutWalk is individually organized. The SlutWalk Chicago team is very committed to making our June 4 event a space where people from all walks of life feel comfortable, welcome, and represented.
Some background about our organizational board: we are a five person team composed of men, women, queer people, people with disabilities, sexual assault survivors, people who identify as sluts, and people who do not. Some of us are college educated. Some of us are not. Our ages range from late teens to mid thirties. We come from a variety of neighborhoods across the city, and have contacts in even more.
Making SlutWalk Chicago an inclusive event is as important to us as it is to you. Here are some of the things that we are currently working on to achieve this goal:
-We are working as a team to make sure that the event is advertised in areas that are typically overlooked in the planning of events like SlutWalk. We have contacts in nearly every neighborhood within the city, as well as many Chicago suburbs.
-We are currently in the process of booking speakers. While SlutWalk Chicago does not endorse tokenizing minorities, we are making a conscious effort to extend the opportunity to speak to people from a number of communities and subcultures. In selecting speakers, we are taking special consideration to put together a diverse, compelling, and interesting series.
-We are in the process of putting together a Spanish language flier. Our Spanish website will be up within the week.
-An ASL signer will be interpreting the speaker series at the event.
-We have allied with a number of community groups that cater to a diverse cross-section of people from throughout the city.
Obviously, we can’t force people to attend our event. Nor would we want to. We are taking all possible steps, however, to build an inclusive movement that is representative of the city of Chicago.
If you have any suggestions for speakers, or have any suggestions regarding how we can make SlutWalk Chicago an even more inclusive event, PLEASE drop us an email at SlutWalkChicago@gmail.com. We welcome your involvement, your suggestions, and your thoughts. A critical dialogue is pertinent to the formation of a worthwhile movement.
Comments
Stephanie
Thu, 19 May 2011 23:33:46
The statement appears to be a response to claims that the walk isn't inclusive and is geared toward hetero, white, cisgender women and the statement comes off as defensive and lacking in critical self-reflection. It's not about how many women of color, feminist men, trans, lesbians, bis are on the planning team it's about how many come to march with you. If your march crowd is lacking in diversity then regardless of the appearance/background of your team it IS lacking in diversity, perhaps in thought, ideals, values, worldviews. So please accept the lack of diversity and either try to change it or defend the lack thereof. Leave denial for the people who don't want to stop the violence against women, who would choose to ignore street harassment, sexual assault, rape culture, rape...
SlutWalk Chicago
Tue, 24 May 2011 15:50:03
Stephanie,
You will note that we actively do not deny - in the very entry you're commenting on - that the participation of certain folks has been overlooked in the planning of some of these events. All we can do is open up and reach out, and the above are some of the ways that we are attempting to do so. Privilege certainly exists, and we are dedicated to acknowledging that privilege, unpacking that privilege, understanding it, and doing what we can to make our event a more comfortable space for as many folks as possible. We always welcome suggestions as to how we can do a better job. We're always listening and taking folks' concerns seriously.
- The SWC Team
Sun, 02 Oct 2011 02:50:51
I think the post is good for us.allied with a number of community groups that cater to a diverse cross-section of people from throughout the city.
