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CARA's Programs
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| Young women of color at CARA's poetry event, "Giving Birth To New Roots." |
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Rape and abuse are a direct result of a culture that promotes the oppression of disenfranchised communities. In the tradition of the contemporary anti-rape movement, we define this type of culture as a "rape culture," or a complex system of all forms of political, economic, cultural, and social abuses of power and control. Because rape is a result of rape culture, an effective model to address rape is a community-organizing model located inside of a social change movement. A social change movement is a sustained subversion of oppressive forces and a construction of new ways of relating to each other based on liberation and self-determination.
CARA's programs prioritize the wisdom and energy of survivors and their communities at the grassroots. Community organizing empowers activists to incorporate an ethic of self-determination when they address sexual and domestic violence. Communities taking leadership to develop values and strategies for safety and accountability on their own terms not only addresses rape and abuse, but also builds opportunities for long-term social change.
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