At the 2014 National Sex Ed Conference, the attendees came together with the Women of Color Sexual Health Network to make a statement about racial injustice in the field of Sexuality Education and a movement towards justice equity. Below is the text of this statement, followed by a video of Cindy Lee Alves reading the statement and the response from the attendees.
Solidarity Statement on Racial Justice in Sexuality Education
Because we are in the field of Sexuality Education, a profession skilled at creating space for dialogue, acknowledging difficult topics, and facilitating change;
Because we stand on the shoulders of many before us, some who have received recognition and others who have not;
Because we live in a country founded on systems of oppression, institutionalized racism, and violence;
Because we see police brutality, racial profiling, and mass incarceration as a gross misuse of power which terrorizes individuals, families, and communities;
Because we know the system is not broke, it is doing exactly as it intended;
Because of all of this, and so much more, we also know—-
Because we are part of the problem, we are also part of the solution; Because we as sexuality educators teach about love, equity, justice, relationships, communication, and safety;
Because we believe in living our lives fully, with intention, agency, and freedom form fear;
Because we hold power, as individuals and as organizations;
Because we can, and we must;
As a multicultural group, we commit to addressing and working to undo racism on personal, professional and institutional levels within the field of sexuality education and in our diverse roles within it, in solidarity with other movements towards racial justice;
Today we commit to the formation of plans of action towards racial justice in sexuality education.