➤ "Where Do Black Men Live?" - Juneteenth Film (of the same name) Screening event keynote presentation (14 min):
(presentation starts at 2:25)
➤ "Men, Consent and Patriarchy", May 15, 2025, NE Sex Education Conference, Lasell College, Newton, MA
♦ Anti-Racism in a Colonized World -
♦ Men's Work: Observing and Dismantling Patriarchy -
♦ Patriarchy In Me: Observing and Interrogating Internalized Contexts of Oppression -
♦ Consent: Intimacy, Sex and Agency -
♦ Consent: A Spectrum of Permission and Agency -
This presentation will cover basic definitions of consent ranging from the technical to
social/political, international and sexual, physical and emotional contexts. Topics to
be covered will be the presumption of sex, sexualization of women,
sexual expectations of men, LGBTQ community issues, misogyny,
patriarchy, sexualized violence and male entitlement. The social and
political ramifications of sexualized violence, assault and harassment
are key to this conversation, also considering the #metoo
movement and increasing levels of pushback against cultural change. This presentation may include a discussion of theGateways of Connection,
18 semi-permeable checkpoints with which to define the process in which
sexual consent can be violated or granted with various outcomes.
Further
Workshop/Presentation Descriptions available upon request. All are
able to be customized for the needs of your community, group,
organization or institution.
♦ Communication and Negotiation In Intimate and Sexual Connection will
identify important areas of concern for fuller, more aware and
meaningful communications while developing intimate and/or sexual
connection. This class will cover rationale for effective and meaningful
communication, communication interfaces, identifying what the
communicators want from the connection, identifying types of
communication and communicators, safety, effective listening, the
dynamics of expectations, power differentials, the power of “no” and
“enthusiastic yes”, consent and communication after the fact. This
conversation is applicable for people new to intimate contact, those
that need to improve their ways of communicating and veteran
communicators, many of whom can get caught up in persistent habits
without being critical of their process.
♦ Race: Organizational Diversity and Inclusionboldly engages the history of colonialism and race, important vocabulary and working definitions along with the dynamics of personal identity and family histories. European/white privilege is put into perspective in addition to the discussion of the systemic and structural nature of racism. Exercises, small and large group discussions give context to the connection between personal, communal and organizational culture giving important foundation to organizational reports leading to racial and cultural organizational assessments and the identification of new visions and projections for action and change.
♦ Dagara Cosmology: Bringing Balance and Healing to Communitylays a general foundation for the Dagara culture of Burkina Faso in West Africa, outlining important elements of Dagara lifeways. The five cosmological elements are presented in the context of the Dagara medicine wheel, highlighting the energetic nature of these elements and their impact and presence on the personal, communal and spiritual levels and how those levels are innately intertwined. The integral role of the Ancestors and ritual is covered along with an application of numerological dynamics to the attendees personally and collectively.
Our important and profound theme ofWomen, Water & Peaceis a core expression of the work of theWorld Ancestor Concert. And thoughwomen have always held fundamental and primary roles in the growth and nurturance and guidance of culturethe world over, the role, presence and behavior of men has been complimentary, but also challenging, frustrating and fatally dangerous for the lives of women, the LGBTQ community, children and other men.Sexism, misogynoir/misogyny, toxic masculinity and patriarchy represent historical patterns, systems and structuresthat women and the LGBTQ communities everywhere are engaging, resisting and healing from.
♦Ukumbwa Sauti has developed workshops and presentations toraise awareness, inform and motivate men and otherstotake initiativein changing their behaviors andstepping up to challenge toxic masculinity, misogynoir/misogyny, men's violence, rape culture and the systems and structures of patriarchythat destabilize lives and culture all over the world.
Connect with usto address questions or find out more about us - ukumbwa @ gmail.com
Men must step up our role in being advocates, for teaching boys and men not to assault women and others, to dismantle the systems and structures, along with the private and social behaviors that oppress women and the LGBTQ+ community. We must constantly strive tobe more aware, listening to and respecting the voices of women and be about the work of men healing menfrom these toxic, abusive and dangerous ways of being.
Join us in ourFacebook group,Men’s Work Initiative, for topical, educational and important posts and an opportunity to connect and discuss these important issues.
Please explore the hashtags below on social media:
#MensWork #MenTakeNotice #MenHealingMen
Tony Porter - A Call To Men(TEDwomen Talk) (11:46)
"At TEDWomen, Tony Porter makes a call to men everywhere: Don't "act like a man." Telling powerful stories from his own life, he shows how this mentality, drummed into so many men and boys, can lead men to disrespect, mistreat and abuse women and each other. His solution: Break free of the "man box."" http://www.ted.com/talks/tony_porter_a_call_to_men
Jackson Katz - Violence Against Women - It's A Men's Issue(TED Talk)(17:41)
"I specialize in delivering quality, discussion based trainings; entertaining, media-rich keynotes; and designing innovative curricula. I focus on topics of gender violence prevention, bystander intervention, consent, redefining masculinity and sexual health."
"Men's Work illuminates some of the work necessary for men in interrogating our roles and responsibilities with regard to men’s relationships with women, the LGBTQ community, children, others and the Earth Herself."
MERGE for Equality, Inc. works to advance the beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors that allow men and boys to be their authentic selves and embrace their rolein ensuring gender equality. We do this in partnership with individuals, groups, and communities across the globe, including alliances that ensure fairness for women and children.http://www.mergeforequality.org/
What Happened To Farkhunda Malikzada - "The New York Times reports: The tormented final hours of Farkhunda Malikzada, a 27-year-old aspiring student of Islam who was accused of burning a Quran in a Muslim shrine shocked Afghans across the country […] For Farkhunda had not burned a Quran. Instead, an investigation found, she had confronted men who were themselves dishonoring the shrine by trafficking in amulets and, more clandestinely, Viagra and condoms." http://reverbpress.com/world/farkhunda-malikzada-radical-islam-women/
Men Stopping Violence: Working Together for a Change-Men Stopping Violence organizes men to end male violence against women and girls through innovative trainings, programs and advocacy. We look to the violence against women’s movement to keep the reality of the problem and the vision of the solution before us. We believe that all forms of oppression are interconnected. Social justice work in the areas of race, class, gender, age, and sexual orientation are all critical to ending violence against women. http://menstoppingviolence.org/learn-more/resources/
♦A Thousand Men In Ecuador Read Letters Of Women Touched By Violence - "In 2011, a campaign by UN Women attempted to transform black-and-white stats like the ones above into robust, personal stories by calling for women to submit real testimonies about their experience with violence. In just three months, the project, dubbed Cartas de Mujeres, collected a total of more than 10,000 letters from women across the country. Nearly half of those letters detailed instances of family and domestic violence. In response, the city of Quito decided to criminalize the sexual harassment of women in public places." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/violence-against-women_56537a91e4b0879a5b0c096f?utm_hp_ref=arts
6 Stories From Sexual Assault Survivors, Read Aloud By Men- In a video (which has the option to display English subtitles) from Lithuanian organization Moterys Kalba (Women Speak), six men read six different stories from women who survived sexual assault. Titled #Musudaug (#ManyOfUs), the video is part of a campaign of the same name dedicated to ending violence against women.
♦ Working as a receptionist in a legal brothel proved to me that prostitution is anything but a normal job-
"The media glamorises prostitution and presents the illusion that it’s sexually liberating for women, and sex industry lobbyists claim that it’s just regular work. For a long time I accepted this without question.
I was a receptionist in a legal brothel in Melbourne, Australia, for two years and I’d say things like: these women choose to do this work; the men are nice guys; it’s a just a job; it’s no different from doing massage; and it’s a lot better than flipping burgers in a hot, greasy kitchen.
This was my survival instinct speaking and this is how women in the industry make it through the night. You tell yourself it’s OK and think of the money. It’s what you do to make the best of a bad situation, and to stop feeling too awful about yourself.
In fact there’s nothing normal or empowering about prostitution. But I wasn’t able to say that until I’d been out of the industry for two whole years."
[This article describes men's sexual/ized violence against women often in graphic detail. It is suggested that men would do well to read this fully and sit with the ramifications of what it means for women and how it calls men to become active in the work, men's work, to dismantle patriarchy and the structures and culture that supports this kind of consistent and brutal violence against women] https://nordicmodelnow.org/2018/07/01/working-as-a-receptionist-in-a-legal-brothel-prostitution-is-anything-but-a-normal-job/
"Men must step up our role in being allies, advocates, for teaching boys and men not to assault women and others, to be about dismantling the systems and structures, along with the private and social behaviors that oppress women and the LGBTQ+ community.
Wecanmake positive, progressive and necessary change in our lives and in our cultures across the Global Village."
