WOCN, Inc. 20th Year Anniversary/Blue Lips Campaign 2017

1) WOCN, Inc. 20th YEAR ANNIVERSARY: 1997-2017

As we enter our 20th year, WOCN, Inc. needs your continued support more than ever. Help us raise $17,000 by September 15 by donating to WOCN, Inc. today. This will support the sustainability of our organization and allow us to make greater impact for survivors on the margins of the margins, our communities, and nationally. We can make great changes when we do it together.

Please make a donation to help our Board meet their fundraising goal!

2) BLUE LIPS CAMPAIGN

What is the Blue Lips Campaign?

The Blue Lips Campaign is a national awareness campaign and fundraiser by the Women of Color Network, Inc. (WOCN, Inc.) with the purpose of bringing attention to domestic violence and sexual assault overall, and to lift up the specific impacts of this violence upon women of color who are of Asian, African, Latinx, Native, Middle Eastern and Bi/Multiracial descent.

Everyone across race, ethnicity, and gender expression are invited to accept the Blue Lips Challenge to help amplify the epidemic of domestic violence and sexual assault, and to lift up the following statistics specific to women of color:

• 4 out of every 10 American Indian/Alaska Native women have been a victim of rape, physical violence and/or stalking in their lifetime (46%). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Summary Report
• 4 out of every 10 Black women have been a victim of rape, physical violence and/or stalking in their lifetime (43.7%). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Summary Report
• In an API Institute on DV survey, 41-60% respondents reported experiencing DV during their lifetimes. South-Asian women in Greater Boston; Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association, 2002
• 14.6% of Latinas have experienced rape at some point in their lives.The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Summary Report
• 1 in 2 multiracial non‐Hispanic women (53.8%) have been the victim of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime. The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Summary Report

According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs (NCAVP), More than half of the victims of anti-LGBT homicides in 2013 were transgender women of color.

How did the Blue Lips Campaign start?

A hotel lobby, five women of color across age and ethnicity on break from a conference. One woman pulled out a tube of lipstick and begins to apply the bold color to her full pout.

Within 3 minutes, each woman began to play dress up while laughing, smiling, and painting each other’s lips. The positive energy exchange between the women and the blue lips were exciting and electric.

Curiosity ran through the hotel lobby, prompting three people to come over to the group and ask, “What is the blue lipstick all about?” To which we replied, “We are women who use our life gifts to end violence against ALL women and girls by focusing on the specific needs of women of color. Let's talk about how you can help spread the word." Sumayya Coleman, Leadership Program Director said, “I think we have something here…”

From this organic process, the idea of the Blue Lips Campaign was born.

What is Women of Color Network, Inc.?

The Women of Color Network, Inc. (WOCN, Inc.) is a national grassroots 501 c 3 initiative dedicated to building the capacity of women of color advocates and activists responding to violence against women in communities of color. Through trainings, technical assistance, and advocacy, WOCN helps foster Women of Color in the advancement of their anti-violence work and leadership.

What is Women of Color Network, Inc.'s mission and purpose?

The mission of the Women of Color Network (WOCN, Inc.) is to eliminate violence against ALL women and their communities by centralizing the voices and promoting the leadership of women of coloracross the Sovereign Nations, the United States and U.S. Territories.

The purpose of WOCN, Inc. is to work in and beyond the fields of domestic violence and sexual assault to address a broad range of violence affecting communities of color such as human trafficking, police brutality and over-incarceration. We accomplish this by examining and responding to a global context of colonialism, imperialism, capitalism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, transphobia, and other forms of oppression that intersect with violence against women of color and their communities.

What do you mean when you say "women of color"?

The term “women of color” is used to unite Native American (indigenous), African/ Black/ Caribbean/West Indies, Hispanic, Latin, Asian/Pacific Islander, Arab/Middle Eastern, Bi/Multi Racial women who share global experiences with relationship to varied Western and European-based cultures like: Race, Class, Gender-based Oppression and all Intersections, Militarism, Targets of War and Police State, Displacement, Loss of Autonomy, Violence as the Norm, Stolen Legacy, Economic Disenfranchisement, Cultural/Racial Appropriation and Genocide.

Tell me why I should support the Blue Lips Campaign?

A few words from Tonya Lovelace, CEO, WOCN, Inc.:

"The Blue Lips Campaign is a national awareness campaign and fundraiser by the Women of Color Network, Inc. (WOCN, Inc.) with the purpose of bringing attention to domestic violence and sexual assault overall, and to lift up the specific impacts of this violence upon women of color who are of Asian, African, Latinx, Native, Middle Eastern and Bi/Multiracial descent.”

“Given the grave statistics – that 4 out of every 10 American Indian/ Alaskan Native women and African American women, and 1 in 2 multiracial women will be a victim of physical violence, rape or stalking in their lifetimes, it is crucial that we raise national awareness on violence against ALL women."

Typically, when a person walks into a domestic violence or sexual assault program with blue lips, it means injury, pain, and hurt.

Typically, when we think of the color blue, we think of feeling down and sadness.

With our Blue Lips Campaign, we are inviting the nation to Flip the Script on Blue Lips and Reclaim the Blues!

How can I take the Blue Lips Challenge?

Take the 3-step Blue Lips Challenge today by:

(1) Participating with Playfulness by wearing BLUE LIPS. If blue lips aren’t someone’s thing, then they are to donate and challenge someone else. Download one of two signs, fill in the blank with your words, and post a selfie with the hashtags #MyBlueLips and #BlueLipsChallenge and #IAmWocnInc.

• Download the "My Blue Lips Say..." sign: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9v1cze3is8181pa/blue%20l...

(2) Donate with Confidence whether you take a Blue Lips selfie or not and support the local and national work of WOCN, Inc.

• Click the DONATE button on this page and donate any amount, or send a check to: WOCN, Inc., 922, N 3rd St., Harrisburg, PA 17102

(3) Share the Healing by changing your profile picture on all social media platforms to your Blue Lips Selfie and share the Blue Lips Challenge within your networks.

• Take a selfie with Blue Lips & Post It on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn)
• Tag WOCN, Inc using hashtags: #MyBlueLips #IAmWOCNINC

About WOCN, Inc: The Women of Color Network, Inc. (WOCN, Inc.) is a national organization 501 (C) 3 with a 20-year legacy of serving women of color and other marginalized communities. WOCN, Inc. spun off on September 30, 2014 to stand on its own as an independent nonprofit, and they need help to build and sustain their infrastructure. The CEO and Operations Office is located in Harrisburg in the Startup building, 922 North 3rd Street, Harrisburg, Pa 17102, and additional staff members reside in New York, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.