blackbird: an advocacy podcast

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and today, to close out this month, I felt I would bring you an incredibly important story to me. You all have empowered me to finally speak my truth and share my survivor story. This is why I advocate. A special thank you to all who participated in sharing "Why I Advocate" for this episode. And an extra special thank you to Rosebud Ireland

In May of 1996, California Polytechnic freshman Kristin Smart attended a birthday party for a friend on campus. She was walked back to her dorm by Paul Flores, never to be seen or heard from again. Flores had been suspected in her murder since the beginning, but hardly any evidence could prove Kristin was even dead. New developments have led to Flores' arrest and new information ab

Today, April 28, 2021 marks another Denim Day. Hear all about the case that sparked this movement (and the absurd 'Jeans Alibi') and why it is so important to wear your denim today! https://www.rcne.com/contact/countries/italy/ | +39 055 602311 (violence against women); + 39 055 601375 (violence against children) | http://www.artemisiacentroantiviolenza.it/ RAINN.org | 1-800-656-46

Brandon Lee Dye was born November 4, 1988. From what I could find on his Facebook page it seemed he had struggled with addiction for a long while and he acknowledged that he had a lot of grief and trauma that he needed to work through and alluded to his drug use being caused by this trauma. On the night of July 15, 2019, in Virginia, Brandon was at home in with his girlfriend, Mega

The Manhattan, NY, DA has decided his office will no longer prosecute sex workers following suit behind a few other jurisdictions in the US. Find out what this means for sex workers and johns. bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy Reference: https://www.npr.org/2021/04/21/989588072/a-relic-and-burden-manhattan-district-attorney-to-stop-prosecuting-prostitution

In June 2017, Manchester graduate student Reynhard Sinaga was arrested on 136 counts of rape of young men around Manchester. He was ultimately convicted of all counts for drugging and raping these young men. Hear about this resilience of these survivors and how Sinaga's case helped so many more young men come forward about their sexual assaults. bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy rainn.

On March 3, 2021, Sarah Everard was kidnapped while walking home from a friend's house. One week later her remains were discovered and a police officer was arrested for her murder. Hear why street harassment is such an important topic to discuss during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. International Anti-Street Harassment Week - April 11-17, 2021 Find out more: https://www.ihollaback

About 3% of American men—or 1 in 33—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. In the UK, 4% of men have experienced some type of sexual assault since the age of 16. Sam Thompson became a statistic, but found a way out of the trauma. Hear how his story helped improve law enforcements response to sexual assaults perpetrated against men. bytesize.me/blackb

On May 7, 1998, Shannon Schieber's brother found her dead in her Center City, Philadelphia, apartment. Her neighbor had thought something odd the night before and called the police, who were dispatched to her apartment, but soon left after they heard no response. Find out what happened and how the Philadelphia PD allowed a serial rapist to get away with his crimes for years. RAINN.

In September 2020, NOLA officer Rodney Vicknair was arrested for sexually assaulting an under-age rape victim he brought to the hospital for a sexual assault examination. Hear the story here. RAINN.org | 1-800-656-4673 CrisisTextLine.org | text "home" to 741741 bytesize.me/blackbirdadvocacy | merch - 20% off #saam collection at blackbirdadvocacy.com References: https://www.vice.c