UltraViolet Unequivocally Supports Sil Lai Abrams, Drew Dixon, and Alexia Norton Jones
Says Black Women Who Are Survivors of Sexual Abuse Must be Heard and That They Deserve Justice and Support for Speaking Out
Statement from Shaunna Thomas, co-founder and executive director of UltraViolet, a leading national women’s organization:
“UltraViolet unequivocally supports Sil Lai Abrams, Drew Dixon, Alexia Norton Jones and all other survivors of abuse in their quest for justice and to be finally heard. These courageous silence breakers and survivors of sexual abuse at the hands of Russell Simmons have been forced into the shadows for too long.
“The upcoming documentary about Russell Simmons’ long pattern of abusing women is a critical platform for these courageous women to tell their stories and it deserves to be distributed. Anyone or anything that seeks to disrupt or prevent the film’s distribution is doing a massive disservice to survivors of sexual abuse, and justice in America.
“For too long it has been too easy for people in positions of power and privilege to casually ignore, dismiss, and demonize Black women and girls who speak up about their experience with sexual abuse and violence. This is unacceptable and must change.
“But make no mistake – we see them, we hear them and, like Oprah, we believe them. Their stories need to be told and we demand justice for the abuse that they suffered.”
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