FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 16, 2018
CONTACT:
Kendra Barkoff, kbarkoff@skdknick.com, 202-464-9531
Tasha Menaker, tasha@acesdv.org, 602-279-2900 x426
ACESDV Awarded Grant from TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund to Support Immigrant and LGBTQ Migrant Survivors of Sexual Harassment and Related Retaliation in the Workplace
Phoenix, AZ – Today, the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund announced Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (ACESDV) in collaboration with Trans Queer Pueblo (TQP) and Poder in Action as the recipient of a grant to support low-wage workers who have experienced sexual misconduct or related retaliation in the workplace. ACESDV will use this grant in collaboration with TQP and Poder in Action to increase knowledge and awareness of sexual harassment and access to the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund among community members most impacted by oppression, including communities of color, LGBTQ+ communities, and immigrant and undocumented communities. The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, which is housed and administered by the National Women’s Law Center Fund (NWLCF), awarded eighteen grants to organizations around the country to build on its commitment to support survivors of sexual harassment and retaliation across all industries and connect them to attorneys and public relations experts.
ACESDV will collaborate with TQP and Poder in Action to develop and conduct culturally and linguistically-inclusive sexual harassment know-your-rights workshops and materials for communities of color and LGBTQ+ migrants. TQP and Poder in Action will engage in outreach through their existing programs promoting access to healthcare, economic justice, and public safety, as well as door-to-door canvassing, workplace, and nightclub outreach to ensure community members who have experienced sexual harassment have information about legal resources and safe local service providers. People who have experienced sexual harassment can contact ACESDV for resources, referrals, and emotional support in addition to information about the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund.
“The TIME’SUP Legal Defense Fund believes that no worker at any job should ever have to endure abuse for a paycheck,” said Sharyn Tejani, Director of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. “We want all survivors to know that there are available resources to help them deal with sexual misconduct. The projects awarded today have the potential to change lives, and I could not be more excited for the work that lies ahead.”
“Our mission is to end sexual and domestic violence in Arizona by dismantling oppression and promoting equity among all people,” said Tasha Menaker, Chief Strategy Officer at the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. “We recognize that communities most impacted by oppression experience high rates of sexual harassment and often have limited access to resources and legal recourse due to systemic discrimination and fear of retaliation. TQP and Poder in Action have a history of successful initiatives mitigating barriers for immigrant and LGBTQ+ migrant communities. We are excited about the opportunity to partner with these organizations and the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund to support sexual harassment survivors in accessing resources.”
The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund received more than 120 applications for these funds. The applications proposed a broad range of diverse public engagement projects, including those offering targeted resources for Latinx workers, Asian immigrants, transgender workers, domestic workers, farmworkers, retail workers, restaurant workers, hotel workers, poultry workers and more.
Awardees were determined based on organizations’ community ties, planned outreach to low-wage workers in target populations, demonstrated commitment to advocacy on behalf of workers’ rights—and with attention to geographic distribution across the United States and diversity in populations served.
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About Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence
The Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence is the designated dual issue coalition in Arizona addressing both sexual and domestic violence for over 35 years. Our purpose is to increase public awareness about the issues of sexual and domestic violence, enhance the safety of and services for sexual and domestic violence victims and survivors and end sexual and domestic violence in Arizona communities. We do this by providing education & training, technical assistance, advocating at the legislature in public policy as well as providing assistance to survivors and advocates through our Sexual and Domestic Violence Services Helpline.
About the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund
The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, which is housed at and administered by the National Women’s Law Center Fund, connects those who experience sexual misconduct including assault, harassment, abuse and related retaliation in the workplace or in trying to advance their careers with legal and public relations assistance. The Fund will help defray legal and public relations costs in select cases based on criteria and availability of funds. Donations to the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund are tax deductible through the Direct Impact Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or through the National Women’s Law Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The initiative was spearheaded by actors and others in the entertainment industry, attorneys Tina Tchen and Roberta Kaplan, and top public relations professionals. Women in Hollywood came together around their own experiences of harassment and assault, and were moved by the outpouring of support and solidarity against sexual harassment from women across sectors. This inspired them to help create a Fund to help survivors of sexual harassment and retaliation in all industries—especially low-wage workers. They worked together in an historic first to design a structure that would be both inclusive and effective.