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VAVP was at Black Pride RVA’s Day of Purpose Event on July 17th!

On July 17th, 2021, members of our staff (including our pictured Survivor Support Team, Cat Lamb and Tasha Smith, our Communications Coordinator Austin Laingen, and our ED Ebony Clark) tabled at Black Pride RVA’s Day of Purpose Event! This event was a great opportunity for local groups to get exposure while supporting Black Queer Virginians, and we were more than excited to participate.

It was so refreshing to be in community with y’all again, and even the heat couldn’t stop everyone from having a blast! We spoke with members of the community, connected with other local organizations & small businesses, and handed out pamphlets/resource cards. We were also blown away by the number of people who signed up to be potential volunteers for VAVP in the future – we can’t thank you all enough for your support as we continue to fight for an end to violence across the state of Virginia.

Keep an eye out for VAVP at future community events!

Do you or someone you know want to respond to and prevent various forms of violence committed against Transgender, Nonbinary, and LGBQ+ communities in Virginia? Do you want to engage with culturally diverse communities, provide support to survivors of violence and create community informed movement building strategies? If so, we need you!

• The Virginia Anti-Violence Project seeks to hire a Survivor Community Coordinator (temporarily a COVID-19 remote position), who will focus on providing quality and informed case management, direct services and advocacy for Trans, Nonbinary, and LGBQ+ survivors of violence. Candidates applying for this position should be bi-lingual (English & Spanish) and bicultural. 
• The Virginia Anti-Violence Project seeks to hire a Survivor Community Specialist (temporary COVID-19 remote position), who will focus on providing quality and informed case management, direct services and advocacy for Trans, Nonbinary, and LGBQ+ survivors of violence. We strongly desire a candidate that is bi-lingual (English & Spanish) and bi-cultural. VAVP is committed to providing accessibility of services for Trans, Nonbinary, and LGBQ+ Latinx survivors of violence. 

¿Tu o alguien que conoces quieres prevenir y erradicar diversas formas de violencia cometidas contra las comunidades transgénero, no binarias y LGBQ en Virginia? ¿Tú quieres o ellos involucrarse con comunidades culturalmente diversas, apoyar a sobrevivientes de violencia y crear estrategias de respuesta informadas por la comunidad? Si es así, ¡te necesitamos!

• El Proyecto Contra la Violencia de Virginia busca contratar a un Coordinador de la Comunidad de Sobrevivientes (posición remota temporal de COVID-19) en que se enfocará proveer una gestión de casos informada y de calidad, servicios directos y defensa para trans, no binarios y LGBQ sobrevivientes de violencia. Candidatos a este puesto deben ser bilingües (inglés y español) y bicultural. Los residentes de Virginia tendrán la consideración de prioridad para esta posición.
• El Proyecto Contra la Violencia de Virginia busca contratar a un Especialista de la comunidad de sobrevivientes (posición remota temporal de COVID-19) en que se enfocará proveer una gestión de casos informada y de calidad, servicios directos y defensa para trans, no binarios y LGBQ sobrevivientes de violencia. Deseamos fuertemente a un candidato que sea bilingüe (inglés y español) y bicultural.  Los residentes de Virginia tendrán la consideración de prioridad para esta posición.

On November 5, 12, and 19, from 7-8 pm, VAVP will be hosting a three-part special livestream miniseries on the disparities of mental health within the QPOC community “My Therapist Told Me: A Healing Conversation”

Moderators CasSandra Calin and Chevelle Moss-Savage will cover three unique topics each session, from the effects COVID-19 has had on QPOC community building and co-resiliency, to the abuse QPOC face in healthcare within and without of a pandemic, and finally to the state of hypervigilance QPOC live in due to the combined pressures of both a global crisis and state-sanctioned institutional violence. VAVP spoke with the moderators to get their input on the importance of this upcoming event.

VAVP: Why is this called “My Therapist Told Me”?

CasSandra: We want to honor that more and more people are seeing therapy as a valid option for their emotional wellness and healing and seeking out therapists that are representative of their identities and experiences and can offer them the healing they need. It is way more often now seen as valid for someone to say, “My therapist told me . . .” when speaking about their support system and their growth process and for that to be validated. We want to celebrate this! 

Chevelle: We wanted something catchy that would attract the attention of folx scrolling through social media timelines.  There are so many memes that start with “My therapist told me…” We also wanted something that would provide some context of what we would be discussing during the sessions. As well as make the viewer smile when they read the tagline.

VAVP: How are each of the sessions different?

Chevelle: Each session focuses on a particular subject that is affecting the black and brown queer community during the pandemic and national unrest.

VAVP: What does healing look like to you?

CasSandra: Healing looks like people realizing they are not alone, exercising self-reflection to figure out what they need and what they want to offer to the world, and moving toward things which help them to be whole and at peace.

Chevelle: Healing looks so differently for so many people, it is complex and complicated….but when the process starts and you notice a change in behavior or attitude that is when the magic begins.  Healing looks like internal magic one navigates during their wellness journey.

VAVP: Why is this necessary right now?

CasSandra: A lot of people are feeling isolated right now and having trouble remembering that they are not alone. What is happening to each of us is happening on a community wide level and so we want to name it in order to let people know that what they’re feeling makes sense, that lots of us are feeling it, and that we can work towards feeling the things we want to feel as well.

Chevelle: We as a people, we as a community, we as a nation are in a state in influx…there is not another option but to dig deep and try to heal from the effects of vicarious and secondary and personal trauma. We can not move forward until we heal from all the things that work to oppress us both personally or communally.

VAVP: What do you hope participants will get out of the sessions?

CasSandra: I hope that people will feel validated and a sense of community. I hope that people will take tools from the conversation to apply to their day-to-day life.

Chevelle: A place to be seen, even if we can’t see them (smile). A place where their feelings or emotions will be validated and normalized, as well as tools, tips and techniques they can refer to after the sessions end.

VAVP: What are the benefits of a streamed webinar vs an in-person event?

CasSandra: A streamed webinar will hopefully be more accessible to a larger group of people because there will be no transportation restrictions.

Chevelle: Folx are able to attend from the comfort of their home, car, etc. Which will allow them the opportunity to still feel engaged and continue to be safe while socially distancing.

VAVP: What are you most looking forward to?

CasSandra: I’m most looking forward to talking with another Black therapist about what we and other queer and trans people of color are going through and how we can take care of ourselves.

Chevelle: GROWING AND SHARING with the viewers, whenever I enter into a healing space, I never know what to expect, and that is the MAGIC of Healing, right?

The Virginia Anti-Violence Project is here to work to prevent violence initially and to be able to provide support to those people who are managing similar toxic and traumatic experiences, while still trying to just meet their basic human needs. Those people are us. Those needs are mental, physical and emotional. They are safe and stable housing, healthy food, financial stability, transportation, access to affordable mental health services, education and the list goes on. 

Human needs have increased exponentially, while competent support systems decrease significantly. As LGBTQIA+ individuals who have been impacted by violence (and that’s all of us), having to also navigate discrimination and ineffective resources only presents more challenges that put us at higher risks for repeating toxic cycles. What kind of ambassadors do we want to be for the mission of addressing and eliminating violence, in all forms?  We can’t continue to rely on those who have no accountability or responsibility to the movement to make the rules about how we heal, educate, and live in community. We need to speak with one solidified voice about who Virginia Anti-Violence Project is, who our collaborative partners are. We understand that what we believe is possible. We do! It is going to take multiple voices and resource streams to continue providing human based services, empowering community, telling the stories of resiliency, and having those stories reach beyond just those experiencing it. 

One strategy to ensure community empowerment is financial stability, by way of fair and consistent compensation for the folks on the ground everyday. For the human beings attending trainings and workshops, using their personal vehicles and voices to meet client and partner needs, balancing their own mental/physical/emotional needs with the demands of the job, and celebrating advocacy accomplishments along the way. Funding is necessary for us to continue providing free services to those who need it most. Being able to relieve some financial burdens while a person is recovering from violence and trauma is a form of activism. Another way to support the mission of addressing the ever changing ways violence impacts our community is to volunteer your time and skills to VAVP. We are in need of community members with skills that will help to significantly increase the organization’s capacity to operate effectively through our Board of Directors. Outreach volunteers, brand ambassadors, are needed to be the unified voice of all those who benefit from the existence of VAVP, now and in the future. Activism looks so many different ways. 

We invite your voice in creating strategies that will help our community to not only recover from experiences of violence and trauma but to also thrive in living into a future where an organization like Virginia Anti-Violence Project, and its partners, are no longer needed. We have plans and several ideas for hosting engagement events in the coming year. VAVP also needs the support of all stakeholders in making these programs available for our community. We hope that you will join us in our next chapter of working to address violence against and within the LGBTQIA+ community. If you are interested in more information, please contact us at info@virginiaavp.org. Please also email me directly at ebony@virginiaavp.org.

~ Ebony Kirkland